What nutritional markers are the most sensitive and specific for surgical site infections and periprosthetic infections (SSIs/PJIs)? Does improvement in nutritional status reduce the risk of SSI/PJI?

Authors: Georgios Komnos, Ronald Huang

RECOMMENDATION: Serum albumin < 3.5 g/dL has been demonstrated to be an independent risk factor for SSIs/PJIs following total joint arthroplasty in multiple, large-scale studies. However, other nutritional markers are poorly studied. Currently, there is insuffi cient evidence to prove that
correction of preoperative nutritional markers reduces the risks of subsequent SSIs/PJIs. Despite the absence of such evidence, we recognize the importance of an optimized nutritional status before total joint arthroplasty (TJA) to reduce the risks of SSIs/PJIs.
DELEGATE VOTE: Agree: 98%, Disagree: 1%, Abstain: 1% (Unanimous, Strongest Consensus)