INTRODUCTION: The optimal interstage interval for two-stage exchange in chronic periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) remains controversial. This study evaluated whether the interval from stage-1 explant/spacer placement to stage-2 reimplantation was associated with recurrent infection after two-stage exchange for chronic hip and knee PJI. METHODS: A national all-payer claims database was queried for chronic hip and knee PJI treated with stage-1 resection/explantation plus spacer, identified by stage-1 procedural codes with a same-day PJI diagnosis. Patients required 1 year of pre-stage-1 enrollment. Two-stage completion was defined as stage-2 reimplantation within 2 years, with 1 year of post-stage-2 follow-up. Interstage interval was categorized as <6 weeks, 6-24 weeks, and >24 weeks. The primary endpoint was surgery-confirmed recurrent infection within 1 year of stage-2 (a repeat infection-related procedure with same-day PJI diagnosis). Adjusted binomial generalized linear regression controlled for age, sex, Elixhauser comorbidity index, payer, region, and joint type, with hip-only and knee-only subgroup analyses. RESULTS: A total of 12,611 patients completed two-stage exchange with 1-year follow-up: 635 with intervals <6 weeks, 9,763 with 6-24 weeks, and 2,213 with >24 weeks. Compared with 6-24 weeks, <6 weeks was associated with higher odds of recurrent infection (OR 2.25, 95% CI 1.83-2.75; p<0.001). Intervals >24 weeks did not differ from 6-24 weeks (OR 1.12, 95% CI 0.97-1.29; p=0.107). The <6 week signal reproduced in hip-only (OR 3.13, 95% CI 2.32-4.20; p<0.001) and knee-only (OR 1.68, 95% CI 1.26-2.22; p<0.001) subgroups. CONCLUSIONS: Very short interstage intervals (<6 weeks) were associated with higher recurrent infection risk after two-stage exchange for chronic hip and knee PJI, while intervals of 6-24 weeks performed similarly to >24 weeks. These findings support avoiding very early reimplantation and favor an interval of at least 6 weeks before stage-2 reimplantation.