Treatment of acutely infected arthroplasties with incision, drainage, and local antibiotics delivered via an implantable pump

Twelve patients with acutely (symptomatic less than ten weeks) infected arthroplasties were treated with minimal debridement and intraarticular antibiotic, amikacin, delivered via an implantable pump. The infection was suppressed in ten cases. Intraarticular levels of amikacin were obtained in eight cases. These levels ranged from greater than 150 μg/ml to 1688 μg/ml. The systemic level of amikacin remained below 10 μg/ml in all but one case. Duration of hospitalization averaged 19 days. There were no significant toxic side effects to amikacin.