Infection of a hip replacement

With a periprosthetic joint infection, bacteria settle on the surface of the implant. There they form a protective layer (biofilm), which is why antibiotics alone are often not enough.

We distinguish:

• Early infection: within weeks after surgery, with redness, wound leakage and fever
• Late infection: months to years later, usually through the bloodstream from a dental, skin, lung or bladder infection

Risk factors include diabetes, smoking, obesity, rheumatic disease and reduced immunity.

• Persistent or increasing pain, also at rest and at night
• Redness, warmth or swelling around the scar
• Wound leakage lasting longer than a few days
• Fever, chills or a general feeling of illness
• A replacement that was never really pain free after surgery

If infection is suspected, rapid assessment matters. Contact our secretariat immediately in that case.

Diagnosis relies on blood tests (CRP), imaging and above all a joint aspiration with culture.

• Early infection: joint lavage with exchange of the mobile parts, followed by targeted antibiotics
• Late or chronic infection: one-stage or two-stage revision in which the implant is replaced
• Always together with infectious disease specialists, with an antibiotic scheme tailored to the cultured bacterium

Prevention matters: treat dental and bladder infections promptly.

Not sure where your complaints come from? Use the symptom explorer or book an appointment with one of our hip surgeons.