Infection of the total joint replacement is the most severe complication seen in prosthetics. Besides a number of other factors, the rise of infection is also influenced by the material applied, not only by its chemical composition but even by the surface texture. This, together with the properties of the contaminating bacteria, has effects on the development of biofilm formation on the implant surface. A set of 91 infective complications of the total hip replacement was used to evaluate clinically the influence of implanted materials on the infection development. The relation between cemented, hybrid, and non-cemented substitutions, particularly the relation of various metals used for implantation and especially the effects of polyethylene were assessed. The time factor of the infection development was also evaluated. Statistical significance was found between the sets in all surveyed parameters. The implants with polymer materials were revealed to become contaminated more easily. Non-cemented implants with porous surfaces are infected less often; here infection appears earlier than in cemented implants with polished metal surfaces. This report aims at better understanding the problems of biomaterial surfaces and, thus, at decreasing the incidence of infections in total joint replacements.

1st Department of Orthopaedic Surgery Faculty of Medicine Masaryk University Brno

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