[Infection prevention during the perioperative period of primary hip and knee arthroplasty]. / Prevención de infecciones en el perioperatorio de la artroplastía primaria de cadera y rodilla.

ABSTRACT

All surgical wounds are at risk of contamination by pathogens that may get in through the incision. The pre-surgical bath with a skin antiseptic agent 24 hours prior to the surgery, the timing of administration of prophylactic antibiotics, the choice and postoperative duration of the latter, the number of individuals within the OR and the movement inside it, the choice of chlorhexidine gluconate for its long duration against gram-positive and gram-negative organisms, and the use of a hair remover or an electric razor, all of the former concepts, some new and others not so new, led to performing an extensive bibliographic review with the idea of starting a standardization process that could change the way in which institutions operate when performing primary joint replacement, trying to reduce the annual infection rate and upgrade the quality of life of patients.