Preop Biomarkers as Outcome Predictors in 2 Stage Revision Surgery for PJI (ARKO-PJI)

January 22, 2026 updated by: Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS

Identification of Pre-prosthetic Revision Markers Predictive of Outcome in Patients With Periprosthetic Infection

With the progressive ageing of the population, a significant increase in the incidence of skeletal fractures-particularly of the proximal femur-as well as degenerative conditions such as osteoarthritis has been observed, for which joint arthroplasty represents the treatment of choice. However, this procedure is not free from complications; beyond technical and mechanical issues related to potential implant malpositioning, one of the most feared is periprosthetic joint infection (PJI), which poses a major challenge in terms of clinical management and prognostic impact. Therapeutic strategies for PJI range from debridement with retention of the implant and exchange of modular components (DAIR/DAPRI) to complete implant removal with insertion of an articulating spacer, often followed by a subsequent reimplantation procedure. These approaches require prolonged antibiotic regimens, potentially exerting a negative effect on renal function, particularly in cases of extended exposure to nephrotoxic agents. Despite the clinical relevance of this issue, the current literature still provides limited evidence regarding the identification of inexpensive and readily available biomarkers capable of predicting treatment outcomes in PJI, especially in patients undergoing spacer implantation followed by reimplantation. Recent literature has increasingly explored the use of biomarkers such as the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio (MLR), systemic inflammation response index (SIRI), and others to characterize inflammatory and nutritional status, and to investigate possible associations between these markers and the outcomes of selected surgical procedures. The availability of predictive markers could optimize therapeutic management by reducing the risk of infection recurrence and improving postoperative risk stratification.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Observational

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
200

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Patients with PJI

Description

Inclusion criteria

  • Age ≥ 18 years
  • Diagnosis of an orthopaedic periprosthetic joint infection (PJI)
  • Surgical treatment
  • Minimum follow-up of 12 months
  • Written informed consent to participate in the study

Exclusion criteria

  • Age < 18 years
  • Patients undergoing prosthetic revision without evidence of periprosthetic joint infection
  • Treatment with antibiotic therapy alone (non-surgical management)
  • Follow-up < 12 months
  • Incomplete dataset
  • Lack of informed consent to participate in the study

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Biomarkers' capacity to predict the likelihood of prosthetic reimplantation
Time Frame: From enrollment for at least one year
The ability of selected preoperative biomarkers (e.g., NLR, PLR) to predict reimplantation outcomes in patients undergoing two-stage revision procedures
From enrollment for at least one year

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Acute kidney injury
Time Frame: From enrollment for at least one year
Incidence of acute kidney injury
From enrollment for at least one year
ADL/IADL
Time Frame: From enrollment for at least one year
Activities of Daily Living (ADL) assess basic self-care functions (e.g., bathing, dressing, feeding, toileting, transferring), whereas Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL) evaluate more complex skills required for independent living (e.g., managing medications, finances, transportation, shopping, meal preparation)
From enrollment for at least one year
SF-12
Time Frame: From enrollment for at least one year
The 12-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-12) is a validated patient-reported outcome measure that provides a concise assessment of health-related quality of life, generating two summary scores: the Physical Component Summary (PCS) and the Mental Component Summary (MCS)
From enrollment for at least one year

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
January 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
December 1, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
December 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
January 14, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
January 14, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
January 22, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
January 23, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
January 22, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
December 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 7818

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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