A Case of Severe Acute Kidney Injury Due to an Antibiotic-Loaded Cement Spacer for Infected Knee Arthroplasty
The treatment for periprosthetic joint infection frequently involves the placement of a high-dose antibiotic-loaded bone cement spacer (ALCS) into the debrided joint. Typical antibiotics in the spacer include aminoglycosides and vancomycin. It has been believed that systemic absorption of intraarticular antibiotics would be low, and early experience suggested that the risk of acute kidney injury (AKI) from ALCS was minimal. However, recent case reports and case series have suggested a risk of AKI owing to antibiotic absorption, though confounding factors are common.