Newer infection prevention techniques , such as preoperative antiseptic scrubbing , are affected and may help reduce the infection rate , while traditionally accepted methods of prophylaxis such as laminar-flow operating rooms and body exhaust suits may raise the infection rate
Despite advances in our underst and ing of surgical site infections following total joint arthroplasty , this serious surgical complication continues to represent a substantial economic burden for the patient , the treating institution and the healthcare system .
After increasing for the past decade , infection rates have stabilized at 1.6 % ; however , the total cost is projected to increase with the total number of revision procedures performed .
The influence of the total body exhaust suit on air and wound contamination in elective hip-operations.
An evaluation of the effect of total body exhaust clothing on air and wound contamination was made in an operating theatre with a zonal ventilation system . Sixty-four patients who underwent total hip replacement using the Charnley-Müller prosthesis were studied . The members of the surgical team wore total body exhaust suits ( TBE-suit ) , or conventional theatre clothing ( C-clothing ) at alternate operations . Nearly half of the patients in each group were given prophylactic antibiotics . Both the mean and median values of airborne bacteria in the operating theatre were significantly lower during operations with TBE-suits than with conventional theatre clothing . The lowest number , 4.0 cfu/m3 , was found at the site of the operation wound . Cultures from adhesive drapes showed growth in 46 per cent of the C-group and in 43 per cent of the TBE-group sample s. Wound washouts showed growth in 43 per cent of the C-group and in 10 per cent of the TBE-group sample s. Staphylococcus epidermidis was the most frequently isolated bacteria both from adhesive drapes and from wound washouts . The rate of superficial infections was slightly higher when C-clothing was used . Deep infections were found in one patient in the TBE-group and in two patients in the C-group . None of the infected patients had received prophylactic antibiotics
Newer infection prevention techniques , such as preoperative antiseptic scrubbing , are affected and may help reduce the infection rate , while traditionally accepted methods of prophylaxis such as laminar-flow operating rooms and body exhaust suits may raise the infection rate
Despite advances in our underst and ing of surgical site infections following total joint arthroplasty , this serious surgical complication continues to represent a substantial economic burden for the patient , the treating institution and the healthcare system .
After increasing for the past decade , infection rates have stabilized at 1.6 % ; however , the total cost is projected to increase with the total number of revision procedures performed .