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Emre Yilmaz, Alexandra Poell, Hinnerk Baecker, Sven Frieler, Christian Waydhas, Thomas Armin Schildhauer, Uwe Hamsen

• \(\bf Background\) Even though surgical techniques and implants have evolved, periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) remains a serious complication leading to poor postoperative outcome and a high mortality. The literature is lacking in studies reporting the mortality of very elderly patients with periprosthetic joint infections, especially in cases when an intensive care unit (ICU) treatment was necessary. We therefore present the first study analyzing patients with an age 80 and higher suffering from a periprosthetic joint infection who had to be admitted to the ICU. \(\bf Methods\) All patients aged 80 and higher who suffered from a PJI (acute and chronic) after THR or TKR and who have been admitted to the ICU have been included in this retrospective, observational, single-center study. \(\bf Results\) A total of 57 patients met the inclusion criteria. The cohort consisted of 24 males and 33 females with a mean age of 84.49 (\(\pm\) 4.0) years. The mean SAPS II score was 27.05 (\(\pm\) 15.7), the mean CCI was 3.35 (\(\pm\) 2.28) and the most patient had an ASA score of 3 or higher. The PJI was located at the hip in 71.9% or at the knee in 24.6%. Two patients (3.5%) suffered from a PJI at both locations. Sixteen patients did not survive the ICU stay. Non-survivors showed significantly higher CCI (4.94 vs. 2.73; \(\it p\) = 0.02), higher SAPS II score (34.06 vs. 24.32; \(\it p\) = 0.03), significant more patients who underwent an invasive ventilation (132.7 vs. 28.1; \(\it p\) = 0.006) and significantly more patients who needed RRT (4.9% vs. 50%; \(\it p\) < 0.001). In multivariate analysis, RRT (odds ratio (OR) 15.4, CI 1.69–140.85; \(\it p\) = 0.015), invasive ventilation (OR 9.6, CI 1.28–71.9; \(\it p\) = 0.028) and CCI (OR 1.5, CI 1.004–2.12; \(\it p\) = 0.048) were independent risk factors for mortality. \(\bf Conclusion\) Very elderly patients with PJI who needs to be admitted to the ICU are at risk to suffer from a poor outcome. Several risk factors including a chronic infection, high SAPS II Score, high CCI, invasive ventilation and RRT might be associated with a poor outcome.