Evidence Hub

To heal or harm: A systematic review of the role of fluoroquinolones in periprosthetic joint infections

Staffan Tevell, Craig A. Aboltins, Angela L. Hewlett, Dolors Rodríguez-Pardo, Bernadette Young

CMI Communications, 2025

3 citations

Abstract

Background Fluoroquinolones (FQs) are currently recommended for the treatment of periprosthetic joint infections (PJIs) caused by staphylococci and Gram-negative bacteria (GNB) in patients undergoing debridement, antibiotics and implant retention (DAIR). In recent decades, reports of serious adverse events associated with FQ use have led to official regulatory recommendations for their restricted use. This review aims to describe the evidence for, and discuss the risks and benefits of, FQ use for PJI Methods A comprehensive search of MEDLINE and EMBASE up to October 2024 was conducted using pre-defined criteria to identify studies addressing (i) the efficacy of FQs in treating staphylococcal and GNB-PJI, and (ii) serious adverse events associated with FQs. A narrative synthesis of the results was performed. Results No randomized controlled trials were identified. A total of 19 retrospective studies were reviewed to assess the efficacy of FQs in treating staphylococcal and GNB-PJI, though the sample sizes in these studies were relatively small. Fifty-seven studies, mostly large retrospective epidemiological cohorts, were found evaluating adverse events associated with FQ treatment. Conclusions There is evidence supporting the use of FQ monotherapy for GNB-PJI and FQ combined with rifampin for staphylococcal PJIs following DAIR over other antimicrobial regimens. There is evidence that FQs are associated with an increased risk of tendinopathy, prolonged QTc interval, peripheral…

How strong is the evidence?

Evidence Hub reads this as a systematic review, done in people. Its evidence level is 1 of 5 (Highest · pooled evidence). Pooled evidence from several studies sits at the top of the evidence pyramid.

How the five levels of evidence work. The level is assigned automatically from the abstract and can be wrong, so check the paper.

Read the paper

Related studies

Go deeper in Evidence Hub

Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.

Open this study Sign up free