The use of antibiotic-laden bone cement (ALBC) for infection prophylaxis in the setting of primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA) remains controversial. Using data from the American Joint Replacement Registry (AJRR), (1) we examined the demographics of ALBC usage in the United States and (2) identified the effect of prophylactic commercially available ALBC on early revision and readmission for prosthetic joint infection (PJI) after primary TKA.

This is a retrospective cohort study of the AJRR from 2017 to 2020. Patients older than 65 years undergoing primary cemented TKA with or without the use of commercially available antibiotic cement were eligible for inclusion (N = 251,506 patients). Data were linked to available Medicare claims to maximize revision outcomes. Demographics including age, sex, race/ethnicity, Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI), preoperative inflammatory arthritis, region, and body mass index (BMI) class were recorded. Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was used to evaluate the association between the two outcome measures and ALBC usage.

Patients undergoing cemented TKA with ALBC were more likely to be Non-Hispanic Black (P < 0.001), have a CCI of 2 or 3 (P < 0.001), reside in the South (P < 0.001), and had a higher mean BMI (P < 0.001). In the regression models, ALBC usage was associated with increased risk of 90-day revision for PJI (hazards ratio 2.175 [95% confidence interval] 1.698 to 2.787) (P < 0.001) and was not associated with 90-day all-cause readmissions. Male sex, higher CCI, and BMI >35 were all independently associated with 90-day revision for PJI.

The use of commercial ALBC in patients older than 65 years for primary TKA in the AJRR was not closely associated with underlying comorbidities suggesting that hospital-level and surgeon-level factors influence its use. In addition, ALBC use did not decrease the risk of 90-day revision for PJI and was not associated with 90-day readmission rates.