A recent survey of available data on hospital-acquired infections stated that one in 16 patients treated in hospital would develop an infection. Such hospital-acquired infections are thought to be costing the NHS in excess of 170 million in England alone. Infection of a joint prosthesis can be devastating, increasing morbidity and hospitalisation. The role of antimicrobial prophylaxis in reducing infection rates is undisputed. However, uncertainty still remains over the choice of agent, the optimal duration, and mode of administration.
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Reference lists of existing reviews in the area of antimicrobial prophylaxis in orthopaedic surgery were examined and experts in the field contacted to help identify further papers. Studies in all languages were considered. Titles and abstracts of all studies identified by the searches were assessed by two reviewers to locate those that were potentially evaluations of antimicrobial prophylaxis in THR surgery. Data extraction and validity Data extraction and validity assessment were carried out by one reviewer and checked for accuracy by a second reviewer. Disagreements that could not be resolved through discussion were taken to a third party.