Effect of arthroscopic debridement in combination with intravenous antibiotics on Gram-positive bacterial knee infections

Objective To study the therapeutic effect of arthroscopic debridement and continuous lavage in combination with intravenous glycopeptide antibiotics on Gram-positive bacterial knee infections. Methods Twenty-one patients with Gram-positive bacterial knee infection were treated with arthroscopic debridement and continuous lavage in combination with intravenous glycopeptide antibiotics.All bacteria,including methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus（MRSA） in 5 knees,meticillin-resistant staphylococcus epidermidis（MRSE） in 6 knees,enterococcus-resistant in 4 knees,coagulase-negative staphylococci（CONS） in 6 knees,were sensitive to vancomycin or teicoplanin.Adverse reactions of the drugs used were recorded during treatment and therapeutic effects of the drugs were evaluated after treatment. Results No adverse reaction of glycopeptide antibiotics occurred during the treatment.The effective rate of arthroscopic debridement and continuous lavage in combination with glycopeptide antibiotics was 100%.All the patients were followed up for an average time of 17.6 months（range 4-29 months） during which recurred knee injection was not found. Conclusion Arthroscopic debridement and continuous lavage in combination with intravenous glycopeptide antibiotics are effective against Gram-positive bacterial knee infection.