Periarticular Injection Reduces Opioid Use After Knee Infection Surgery

Periprosthetic joint infection remains one of the most debilitating complications following total joint arthroplasty, often necessitating complex surgical interventions that result in significant postoperative pain [1]. While multimodal analgesic strategies such as periarticular injection are standard in primary total hip and knee replacements to reduce opioid consumption, their use in infected cases has been historically limited by concerns regarding the potential spread of pathogens [2, 3]. Recent advancements in regional delivery, including intraosseous administration (the injection of medications directly into the bone marrow space to achieve rapid systemic or local effects) and specialized nerve blocks, highlight the ongoing effort to optimize local drug concentrations while minimizing systemic side effects [1, 4]. However, the clinical dilemma persists regarding whether local infiltration techniques can be safely utilized during debridement or revision surgery for active infection [5, 6]. A recent retrospective analysis now provides evidence regarding the safety profile and analgesic efficacy of this approach in patients undergoing surgical treatment for knee periprosthetic joint infection.