The cost of infection after total joint arthroplasty

Total joint arthroplasty of the hip and knee are commonly performed procedures with excellent clinical results and survivorship of nearly 80% at 20 years for hips and up to 90% at 15 years for knees. Despite these excellent outcomes, complications do occur and can prove costly to the patient, the physician, and the health care system. A particularly costly complication is the development of postoperative infection. What follows is an evaluation of the costs related to infection after total joint arthroplasty and a description of how those costs are being approached for containment.