Abstract:

BACKGROUND: Antibiotic-loaded bone cement for artificial joint fixation can locally play the anti-inflammatory effects of antibiotics, thereby preventing the occurrence of infection.
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of antibiotic-loaded bone cement on erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein and joint function of patients treated by total knee arthroplasty.
METHODS: Totally 86 patients, including 43 males and 43 females, aged 45-75 years, were enrolled and divided into observation and control groups (n=43/group). The artificial knee joints of patients in the
observation group were fixed with antibiotic-loaded bone cement, while the artificial knee joints of patients in the in the control group were fixed with conventional bone cement. The surgical condition, blood indexes, knee function and therapeutic efficacy were compared between these two groups.
RESULTS ADN CONCLUSION: The bed time and incidence of infection after operation in the observation group were significantly lower than those in the control group (P < 0.05); the knee bending angle and total efficiency of treatment after 2 weeks of treatment were significantly higher than those in the control group (P < 0.05). The C-reactive protein level and erythrocyte sedimentation rate at 3 and 7 days after treatment in these two groups were significantly decreased compared with those before treatment (P < 0.05), especially in the observation group (P < 0.05). The knee joint function scores after 6 months of treatment in these two groups were significantly increased compared with those before treatment (P < 0.05), especially in the observation group (P < 0.05). These results demonstrate that antibiotic-loaded bone cement is conductive to prevent the occurrence of infections, improve blood indexes and promote the knee joint function recovery.