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Plasma d-Dimer Levels in Non-prosthetic Orthopaedic Implant Infection: Can it Aid Diagnosis?

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Abstract

Purpose

d-Dimer estimation has been proposed as a reliable biomarker in prosthetic joint infections. Its role in non-prosthetic orthopaedic implant infections has, however, not been studied. The objectives of this study were to assess the levels of plasma d-Dimer in non-prosthetic orthopaedic implant infection. The diagnostic efficiency of d-dimer on orthopaedic implant-related infection was evaluated.

Methods

The study was designed as a cross-sectional comparative study. Patients who presented with orthopaedic implant-related infection as diagnosed by modified MSIS criteria were allocated to case group (n = 49) and patients who underwent surgical procedures with orthopaedic implants with no evidence of infection at 6 weeks postoperatively were allocated to the control group (n = 48). Serum d-Dimer levels were assessed quantitatively using immunoturbidimetric assays in both groups and compared between both groups.

Results

The mean (± SD) value of serum d-Dimer in case group was 0.64 (± 0.45) μg/ml and control group was 0.77 (± 0.47) μg/ml. No significant difference was found in serum d-Dimer levels between cases and control groups (p value = 0.183). The diagnostic accuracy of d-dimer in orthopaedic implant-related infection also could not be demonstrated.

Conclusion

The findings of d-dimer as a marker for the diagnosis of prosthetic joint infections cannot be extrapolated to non-prosthetic orthopaedic implant infection.

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Funding

This study was funded by an intra-mural grant from the Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, Pondicherry, India.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Orthopaedics, JIPMER, Pondicherry, India

    Govind Karunakaran, Jagdish Menon & Sandeep Nema

  2. Department of Pathology, JIPMER, Pondicherry, India

    Debadatta Basu

Authors
  1. Govind Karunakaran
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  2. Jagdish Menon
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  3. Sandeep Nema
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  4. Debadatta Basu
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jagdish Menon.

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Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethics Approval

The study was done in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional research committee (Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research, Puducherry, India, Project number: JIP/IEC/2017/0256) and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Karunakaran, G., Menon, J., Nema, S. et al. Plasma d-Dimer Levels in Non-prosthetic Orthopaedic Implant Infection: Can it Aid Diagnosis?. JOIO 54 (Suppl 1), 76–80 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43465-020-00120-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s43465-020-00120-8

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