Analysis Of The KLIC-score; An Outcome Predictor Tool For Prosthetic Joint Infections Treated With Debridement, Antibiotics And Implant Retention.

Debridement, antibiotics and implant retention (DAIR) forms the primary treatment modality for early prosthetic joint infection (PJI). The KLIC score has been proposed as a risk stratification tool for use in predicting outcome of prosthetic knee infections. Our aim was to determine the accuracy of this scoring system at an independent tertiary PJI centre in a typical DAIR population. Between 2008 and 2015, patients with infected knee prostheses treated with DAIR were identified. The patient notes and blood tests were reviewed retrospectively and the 'KLIC-score' was calculated and correlated with outcome. The end point for early failure was defined as: 1) the need for unscheduled surgery, 2) infection-related death ≤12 months from debridement or 3) the need for suppressive antibiotic treatment. 59 patients received DAIR procedures for knee PJI. Treatment was successful in 41 patients (69%) with early failure in 18 patients (31%). Patients deemed high-risk (KLIC-score ≥7) had notably higher failure rates (60%) than those scoring <7 (28%). No relationship can be drawn between KLIC-scores of <7 and failure rates. The KLIC-score applied retrospectively was able to predict patients with the highest risk of early failure but provides little information in patients with scores of <7.