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Short Against Long Antibiotic Therapy for Infected Orthopedic Sites

Short Against Long Antibiotic Therapy for Infected Orthopedic Sites

Status
Completed
Phases
Phase 3
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT05499481
Acronym
SALATIO
Enrollment
495
Registered
2022-08-12
Start date
2022-09-15
Completion date
2025-06-30
Last updated
2025-07-02

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Antibiotic Side Effect, Infection, Surgical Site, Orthopedic Devices Associated With Misadventures

Keywords

Orthopedic infectionsT, Duration, Antibiotic Therapy, Randomized-Controlled Trial

Brief summary

The investigators will perform two concomitant RCTs, depending on the presence of infected osteosynthesis material at enrolment: \- SALATIO 1. Infected implant not removed (or new material inserted): Randomization 6 vs. 12 weeks (+/- 5 days) of total antibiotic therapy counted since the first debridement for infection. Early switch to oral targeted therapy. \- SALATIO 2. Infected implant without residual material (definitive removal or within the interval of a two-stage exchange): Randomization 3 vs. 6 weeks (+/- 5 days) of total antibiotic therapy counted since the first debridement for infection. Early switch to oral targeted therapy.

Detailed description

The optimal duration of postoperative, systemic antibiotic therapy for implant-related orthopedic infections, with or without implant removal, is unknown. Retrospective studies suggest that a maximum duration of 6 weeks is not inferior to longer administrations; even if the infected implants are kept in place or during a one-stage exchange. Prospective-randomized trials (RCT) suggest that even shorter durations, such 3 or 4 weeks, are possible, when the implant is removed. Likewise, in prospective studies, 6 or 8 weeks of systemic antibiotics are not inferior to the current 12 weeks during DAIR (debridement, antibiotic and implant retention), or during the one-stage exchange; except for one single RCT suggesting a better outcome for 12 weeks in the substrata of arthroplasty infections undergoing the DAIR procedure. However, these RCTs concern selected branches of orthopedic surgery; especially prosthetic joint infections. The investigators intend to expand these evaluations to all fields of orthopedic and hand surgery. The only exceptions would be spine surgery, for which a multicenter, separate RCT is already under way (SASI-trials). The second exception would be the treatment of implant-free diabetic foot infections, for which two RCTs are underway.

Interventions

DRUGAntibiotic

The investigators will perform two concomitant RCTs, depending on the presence of infected osteosynthesis material at enrolment: \- SALATIO 1. Infected implant not removed (or new material inserted): Randomization 6 vs. 12 weeks (+/- 5 days) of total antibiotic therapy counted since the first debridement for infection. Early switch to oral targeted therapy. \- SALATIO 2. Infected implant without residual material (definitive removal or within the interval of a two-stage exchange): Randomization 3 vs. 6 weeks (+/- 5 days) of total antibiotic therapy counted since the first debridement for infection. Early switch to oral targeted therapy.

Sponsors

Balgrist University Hospital
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE

Intervention model description

The investigators will perform two concomitant RCTs, depending on the presence of infected osteosynthesis material at enrolment: \- SALATIO 1. Infected implant not removed (or new material inserted): Randomization 6 vs. 12 weeks (+/- 5 days) of total antibiotic therapy counted since the first debridement for infection. Early switch to oral targeted therapy. \- SALATIO 2. Infected implant without residual material (definitive removal or within the interval of a two-stage exchange): Randomization 3 vs. 6 weeks (+/- 5 days) of total antibiotic therapy counted since the first debridement for infection. Early switch to oral targeted therapy.

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* Age ≥ 18 years on admission * Orthopedic bone and implant infections including musculoskeletal grafts * Intraoperative debridement with any surgical technique * 12 months of scheduled follow-up from hospitalization * Bacterial orthopedic infections of any nature * First or second episode of infection

Exclusion criteria

* Mycobacterial, fungal, nocardial, and Actinomyces infections * Purely soft tissue infections * Non-resected cancer in the infection site * Purely intrasynovial infections (native joint septic arthritis) * More than three debridements performed for infection * Absence of at least one surgical intraoperative debridement * Spine infections (investigated in another trial)10 * Diabetic foot infections (investigated in another trial)7 * Documented endocarditis according to the Duke criteria * At least 2 prior infection episodes at the actual infection site

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Clinical remission related to the duration of total, postdebridement, antibiotic use6 weeks postoperatively, or 1 year postoperatively in case of implant-related orthopedic surgeryClinical assessment during routine surgical controls. Definition of clinical failure accoding to to sandard criteria in the literature (surgical revision, pain, local inflammation, discharge, several deep intraoperative bacterial tissue samples)
Microbiological recurrence in relation to the total, postdebridement, antibiotic use6 weeks postoperatively, or 1 year postoperatively in case of implant-related orthopedic surgeryRecurrence of infection, with the same pathogens, after completing the antibiotic treatment for the index infection

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Length of hospital stay in acute care surgery (without rehabilitation)6 weeks postoperatively, or 1 year postoperatively in case of implant-related orthopedic surgeryThe duration of the hospital stay for every episode in both randomizing arm
Description of all clinical failures of any sort6 weeks postoperatively, or 1 year postoperatively in case of implant-related orthopedic surgeryNeed for hospitalisation or revision surgery for any non-infectious failures related to the operation wound (hematoma, seroma, internal (closed) fractures, dislocation of implants)
Adverse events in each study arm, and in relation to the antibiotics used6 weeks postoperatively, or 1 year postoperatively in case of implant-related orthopedic surgeryAll adverse events during the therapy and follow-up time , with an emphasis on antibiotic-related adverse events (according to medical judgement). Numbers and descriptions.

Countries

Switzerland

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 26, 2026