Context: The epidemiology of prosthetic joint infection (PJI) in a population-based cohort has not been studied in the United States.
Objectives: To provide an accurate assessment of the true incidence, secular trends, clinical manifestations, microbiology, and treatment outcomes of PJI in a population-based cohort.
Design: Historical cohort study.
Setting: Olmsted County, Minnesota.
Participants: Residents who underwent total knee arthroplasty (TKA) or total hip arthroplasty (THA) between January 1, 1969, and December 31, 2007.
Methods: Incidence rates and trends in PJI were assessed using the Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank test, as were treatment outcomes among PJI case patients.
Results: A total of 7,375 THAs or TKAs were implanted in residents of Olmsted County during the study period. Seventy-five discrete joints in 70 individuals developed PJI, during a mean ± SD follow-up of [Formula: see text] years. The cumulative incidence of PJI was 0.5%, 0.8%, and 1.4% after 1, 5, and 10 years after arthroplasty, respectively. Overall, the rate of survival free of clinical failure after treatment of PJI was 76.8% (95% confidence interval [CI], 64.3-85.2) and 65.2% (95% CI, 33.1-76.2) at 3 and 5 years, respectively. The incidence and treatment outcomes did not significantly differ by decade of implantation, patient age at implantation, gender, or joint location.
Conclusions: The incidence of PJI is relatively low in a population-based cohort and is a function of age of the prosthesis. Incidence trends and outcomes have not significantly changed over the past 40 years.