The American College of Rheumatology and American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons teamed up to release a new guideline this month to reduce infections in total hip and knee replacement patients — the first such collaboration between rheumatologists and orthopedic surgeons.
"Periprosthetic joint infection remains one of the most common reasons for failure of hip and knee replacement," Bryan Springer, MD, an orthopedic surgeon and chair of the AAHKS Education Council. "Because periprosthetic joint infections are associated with such high morbidity and mortality, we felt there was a dire need for perioperative management recommendations that could be subscribed by both disciplines in order to provide arthritis patients with better outcomes."
Three key recommendations from the guideline are:
- Stopping biologic therapy prior to surgery for patients with inflammatory arthritis
- Stopping tofacitnib for a week before surgery for patients with rheumatoid arthritis, spondyloarthritis and juvenile idiopathic arthritis
- Withholding rituximab and belimumab before surgery for patients with lupus undergoing arthroplasty
View the entire guideline on the ACR website.
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