Early Post-Operative Water Exposure Does Not Increase Complications in Cutaneous Surgeries: A Randomized, Investigator-Blinded, Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: Patients are often advised to keep the initial post-operative dressings dry and undisturbed for 24 to 72-hours. However, these requirements may result in significant disruption of patients' activities of daily living, such as bathing, leisure, and exercise. OBJECTIVE: Compare standard management of keeping wounds dry and covered (48-hours) with early (6-hours) post-operative water exposure METHODS: Investigator-blinded, randomized (1:1), controlled trial evaluating rate of infection and additional outcomes of interest. RESULTS: Overall, 437 patients randomized to either the early (6-hour) water exposure (n = 218) intervention group or the standard cohort (n = 219). The incidence of culture-proven infection in the intervention group (1.8%) was similar to the standard group (1.4%) (p>0.99). There was also no difference in rates of bleeding or bruising. Scar assessment using the Patient and Observer Scar Assessment Scale (POSAS) revealed similar scar outcomes. LIMITATIONS: Single site, academic center. CONCLUSION: Surgical wounds can be allowed to get wet in the immediate post-operative period with no increased incidence of infection or other complications and with similar cosmesis.

A meta-analysis examining the impact of intrawound treatment on reducing deep surgical site infections during instrumented spine surgery.

The purpose of the meta-analysis was to evaluate and compare the effect of intrawound management on decreasing deep surgical site infections (SSIs) in instrumented spinal surgery (SS). The results of this meta-analysis were analysed, and the odds ratio (OR) and mean difference (MD) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using dichotomous or contentious random or fixed effect models. For the current meta-analysis, 29 examinations spanning from 2006 to 2022 were included, encompassing 11 181 people who had instrumented SS. Intrawound management had a significantly lower deep SSI when using vancomycin (OR, 0.34; 95% CI, 0.25-0.44, p < 0.001) and povidone-iodine as intrawound management (OR, 0.24; 95% CI, 0.13-0.42, p < 0.001) compared to control in instrumented SS subjects. The data that was looked at showed that using vancomycin and povidone-iodine as intrawound management had a much lower deep SSI than using a control group of instrumented SS subjects. However, given that some studies included a small number of subjects, attention should be given to their values.

Does local fat thickness correlate with post-operative infection in open reduction and internal fixation of acetabulum fractures?

PURPOSE: Obesity is an epidemic which increases risk of many surgical procedures. Previous studies in spine and hip arthroplasty have shown that fat thickness measured on preoperative imaging may be as or more reliable in assessment of risk of post-operative infection and/or wound complications than body mass index (BMI). We hypothesized that, similarly, increased local fat thickness at the surgical site is a predictor of wound complication in acetabulum fracture surgery. METHODS: Patients who underwent open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) of an acetabulum fracture through a Kocher-Langenbeck (K-L) approach at a single institution from 2013 to 2020 were identified. Pre-operative CT scans were used to measure fat thickness from the skin to the greater trochanter in line with the surgical approach. Post-operative infections and wound complications were recorded and associated with fat thickness and BMI. RESULTS: 238 patients met inclusion criteria. 12 patients had either infection or a wound complication (5.0%). There was no significant association with BMI or preoperative fat thickness on post-operative infection or wound complication (p-value 0.73 and 0.86). CONCLUSIONS: There is no statistically significant association of post-operative infection or wound complications in patients with increased soft tissue thickness or increased BMI. ORIF of acetabulum fractures through a K-L approach can be performed safely in patients with large subcutaneous fat thickness and high BMI with low risk of infection or wound complications.

Does vaginal cleansing with iodine decreases infection rate in office hysteroscopy?

PURPOSE: To determine whether preoperative vaginal cleansing with iodine-based solution prior to hysteroscopy, reduces postoperative infection rate compared to no vaginal cleansing. METHODS: A retrospective study at a single tertiary, university affiliated hospital of all individuals who have had an office hysteroscopy. Study group consisted of patients who have had preoperative vaginal cleansing with iodine-based solution and were compared to those who have not. Any procedural related complaints at the 30 days following the hysteroscopy were recorded. RESULTS: A total of 505 were available for analysis, 183 in the study group and 322 in the control group. The most common indications for operation were infertility evaluation (33.9% vs. 28.6%) and retained products of conception (33.3% vs. 29.2%), and most common procedures were diagnostic only (49.7% vs. 42.5%) followed by adhesiolysis (12% vs. 14.3%). No statistical differences were noted with regards to postoperative infections, as only one case of pelvic inflammatory disease was noted, in the iodine cleansing group (0.19% for postoperative infection). CONCLUSION: Our comparative study may suggest that the use of preoperative iodine solution prior to office hysteroscopy does not decrease the postoperative infection rate up to 30 days, thus can be avoided.

Do number and location of plates impact infection rates after definitive fixation of high energy tibial plateau fractures?

PURPOSE: Surgical trauma may confer additional infectious risk after operative fixation for high energy tibial plateau fractures. This study aims to determine the impact of plate number and location on infection rates after these injuries. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study completed at two level one trauma centers included patients who underwent staged fixation for a tibial plateau fracture between 2015 and 2019. Plate number and location (lateral, medial, posteromedial, and anterior quadrants) used in the definitive fixation construct were collected from post-operative radiographs. Deep infection rate was primary the outcome. RESULTS: A total of 244 patients met inclusion criteria. The overall infection rate was 13.9% (34/244). Infection rates increased with each additional quadrant utilized (8.0% one quadrant, 13.0% two quadrants, 27.3% three quadrants, 100% four quadrants; p < 0.001), independent of plate number, fracture severity, operative time, number of incisions, external fixator pin and plate construct overlap, and days in the external fixator on multivariate analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Infection risk increases with each quadrant utilized in the fixation of high energy tibial plateau fractures. Providers should attempt to limit the dissection of soft tissue for hardware placement in the fixation of these injuries to limit infection risk. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III, retrospective therapeutic study.

Infectious outcomes after splenectomy for trauma, splenectomy for disease and splenectomy with distal pancreatectomy.

INTRODUCTION: The spleen provides a unique immune function in its production of opsins directed against encapsulated bacteria. Splenectomy, therefore, increases the risk of infections in patients as well as post-operative complications. This study aims to assess the risk of post-operative complications within 5 years of splenectomy by indication for splenectomy: trauma, disease, or in association with a distal pancreatectomy for pancreatic disease. The relationship between vaccination and infectious outcomes was also investigated. METHODS: This study is a review of splenectomy cases between June 2005 and June 2015 at a single institution. Infection, splenectomy indication, and vaccination history were identified from electronic medical records and lab test confirmations. Data was analyzed using Student's t test for continuous variables, the Mann-Whitney U test for ordinal variables, and a Chi-square/Fisher exact test for categorical variables. RESULTS: A total of 106 splenectomy patients were included: 35 traumatic (74% male) and 71 non-traumatic causes (42% male) with no significant difference in age. There were no statistical differences in complications during splenectomy and vaccination administration between the splenectomy indication groups: trauma, disease, and with distal pancreatectomy. There was a statistically significant higher infection rate within 5 years post-splenectomy in the non-traumatic vs traumatic group (42% vs 14.0%, p = 0.0040) with majority gastrointestinal (7/38) and respiratory (5/38) and surgical wound infections (3/38) observed in non-traumatic versus traumatic, respectively. CONCLUSION: Results from data analysis show a statistically significant difference in rates of infection within 5 years post-operatively between traumatic versus non-traumatic indications for splenectomies, with the non-traumatic group experiencing a higher rate of infectious outcomes. The non-traumatic group included patients with disease and distal pancreatectomy indications. This suggests that patients who have non-traumatic causes may be at a higher risk of developing infections following splenectomy procedure. Additionally, vaccinations did not appear to have a protective effect.

Dual-mobility cups could yield lesser infections than conventional cups: a meta-analysis of comparative studies.

INTRODUCTION: Dual-mobility cups (DMC) are gaining popularity mainly for their reduced rate of dislocation following total hip arthroplasty (THA). Currently, indication for DMC use extends beyond patients with high risk of dislocation or revision THA cases. Many authors reported DMC outcomes in primary THA for all aetiologies. However, some reports claimed that the use of DMC is accompanied with higher rates of infection compared with conventional cups (CC) in both primary and revision THA. RESEARCH QUESTION: Does the use of DMC generate higher rates of infection when compared with conventional cups? OBJECTIVES: The aim of this meta-analysis was to look for significant difference in the rate of post-operative infection between DMC cups and conventional cups. METHODOLOGY: MEDLINE, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar were searched since inception. Only studies with comparative design reporting the outcome infection rate were included. RESULTS: Seventeen retrospective comparative studies were located comprising 248,541 patients: 16,020 in the DMC group and 232,521 in the CC group. The mean follow-up period was 37.5 ± 42 and 50.2 ± 48.7 months for the DMC and CC groups, respectively. The meta-analytical results indicated the following: (a) significantly lesser infections following DMC compared with CC in revision THA (odds ratio (OR) = 0.75 (95% CI = 0.653 to 0.874, P = 0.0002, I2 = 25%); (b) for primary THA and for large-sampled registries, significance was found using only the fixed-effects model estimate; and (c) no significant difference was found for the subgroup of cohort studies. CONCLUSION: Our results clearly refute the claim that DMC would yield higher rates of infection. On the contrary, the findings demonstrated that the use of DMC reduces the risk of post-operative infection in revision THA and a similar lower infection trend for primary THA when compared with the standard cups.

Pre-operative withholding of infliximab and the risk of infections after major surgery in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

OBJECTIVES: Withholding TNF inhibitors (TNFI) before surgery has been recommended due to concern for post-operative infection. We examined the risks of post-operative infections and mortality in patients with RA in relation to the pre-operative timing of infliximab infusion. METHODS: In this population-based retrospective cohort study, we used US Medicare claims data from 2007 to 2015 to identify patients with RA who underwent coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), aortic or vascular surgery, or bowel resection, and who were treated with infliximab in the 90 days prior to surgery. We examined associations between the timing of infusion and infections and mortality in the 30 days after surgery. We adjusted for the predicted probability of post-operative infection or death, demographic characteristics, use of MTX, post-operative blood transfusion and hospital volume. RESULTS: We studied 712 patients with CABG, 244 patients with vascular surgery and 862 patients with bowel resections. Post-operative pneumonia occurred in 7.4-11.9%, urinary tract infection in 9.0-15.2%, surgical site infection in 3.2-18.9%, sepsis in 4.2-9.6% and death in 3.5-7.0% among surgery cohorts. There was no association between the time from last infliximab dose to surgery and the risk of post-operative infection or mortality in any surgical cohort. No subgroups were identified that had an increased risk of infection with more proximate use of infliximab. CONCLUSION: Among elderly patients with RA, risks of infection and mortality after major surgery were not related to the pre-operative timing of infliximab infusion.

Bacteria drug resistance profile affects knee and hip periprosthetic joint infection outcome with debridement, antibiotics and implant retention.

BACKGROUND: Evaluate the effect of bacteria drug resistance profile on the success rates of debridement, antibiotics and implant retention. METHODS: All early acute periprosthetic infections in hip and knee arthroplasties treated with DAIR at our institution over the period from 2011 to 2015 were retrospectively analyzed. The success rate was evaluated according to the type of organism identified in culture: multidrug-sensitive (MSB), methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria (MRB) and according to other risk factors for treatment failure. The data were analyzed using univariate and multivariate statistics. RESULTS: Fifty-seven patients were analyzed; there were 37 in the multidrug-sensitive bacteria (MSB) group, 11 in the methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) group and 9 in the other multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria (MRB) group. There was a statistically significant difference (p < 0.05) in the treatment failure rate among the three groups: 8.3% for the MSB group, 18.2% for the MRSA group and 55.6% for the MRB group (p = 0.005). Among the other risk factors for treatment failure, the presence of inflammatory arthritis presented a failure rate of 45.1 (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: DAIR showed a good success rate in cases of early acute infection by multidrug-sensitive bacteria. In the presence of infection by multidrug-resistant bacteria or association with rheumatic diseases the treatment failure rate was higher and other surgical options should be considered in this specific population. The MRSA group showed intermediate results between MSB and MRB and should be carefully evaluated.

Current status of post-operative infections due to antimicrobial-resistant bacteria after digestive tract surgery in Japan: Japan Postoperative Infectious Complications Survey in 2015 (JPICS'15).

PURPOSE: We herein report the findings of the Japan Postoperative Infectious Complication Survey in 2015 (JPICS'15), which evaluated the rate of post-operative infections and colonization due to antimicrobial-resistant (AMR) bacteria after digestive tract surgery. METHODS: This survey by the Japan Society of Surgical Infection included patients undergoing digestive tract surgery at 28 centers between September 2015 and March 2016. Data included patient background characteristics, type of surgery, contamination status, and type of post-operative infections, including surgical site infections (SSIs), remote infections (RIs), and colonization. RESULTS: During the study period, 7,565 surgeries (of 896 types) were performed; among them, 905 cases demonstrated bacteria after digestive tract surgery. The survey revealed that post-operative infections or colonization by AMR bacteria occurred in 0.9% of the patient cohort, constituting 7.5% of post-operative infections, including 5.6% of SSIs and 1.8% of RIs. Extended-spectrum ß-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus were the predominant AMR bacteria isolated from patients after digestive tract surgery. Patients infected with AMR bacteria had a poor prognosis. CONCLUSION: Our results reveal that 7.5% of the post-operative infections were due to AMR bacteria, indicating the need for antibacterial coverage against AMR bacteria in patients with critical post-operative infections.

Successful perioperative infection control measures after gastroenterological surgery reduced the number of cases of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus or Clostridioides (Clostridium) difficile infection to almost zero over a 30-year period: a single-department experience.

PURPOSE: To investigate changes in the incidence of postoperative infections in the surgical department of a teaching hospital. METHODS: During the 30-year period from September 1987 to August 2017, 11,568 gastroenterological surgical procedures were performed in our surgical department. This 30-year period was divided into seven periods (A-G), ranging from 2 to 7 years each and based on the infection control methods used in each period. We then compared the rates of incisional surgical site infection (SSI) and organ/space SSI; remote infection (RI) including respiratory tract infection (RTI), intravascular catheter-related infection, and urinary tract infection (UTI); and antibiotic-associated colitis caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) enteritis or Clostridioides (Clostridium) difficile-associated disease (CDAD) among the seven periods. RESULTS: In periods B (September 1990-August 1997) and E (November 2004-July 2007), when a unique antibiotic therapy devised in our department was in use, MRSA was isolated from only 0.3% and 0.4% of surgical patients, respectively, and these rates were significantly lower than those in the other periods (p < 0.05). The rate of CDAD increased during period F (August 2007-July 2014), but in period G (August 2014-August 2017), restrictions were placed on the use of antibiotics with a strong anti-anaerobic action and, in this period, the rate of CDAD was only 0.04%, which was significantly lower than that in period F (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Limiting the use of antibiotics that tend to disrupt the intestinal flora may reduce the rates of MRSA infection and CDAD after gastroenterological surgery.

C-reactive protein kinetics post elective cranial surgery. A prospective observational study.

Introduction: Post cranial surgery readmission, largely caused by surgical site infection (SSI), is a marker of patient-care quality requiring comprehensive discharge planning. Currently, discharge assessment is based on clinical recovery and basic laboratory tests, including C-reactive protein (CRP). Although CRP kinetics have been examined postoperatively in a handful of papers, the validity of CRP as a standalone test to predict SSI is yet to be explored.Methods: A prospective observational study was performed on adult patients undergoing elective cranial surgery over a 3-month period. Laboratory data; CRP, white cell count (WCC), neutrophil cell count (NCC), and clinical data were assessed pre and post-operatively and were evaluated as predictors for safe discharge. Readmission rates within 1 month were recorded.Results: In this study, 68 patients were included. About 8.6% were readmitted due to SSI. A postoperativepeak in CRP was seen on day 2 with a value of 57 in the non-readmitted group, and 115 in the readmitted group. CRP dropped gradually to normal levels by day 5 in the non-readmitted group. A secondary CRP rise at day 5 was noted in the readmitted group with a sensitivity, specificity, and negative predictive value of 71%, 90%, and 96%, respectively. Interestingly, our ROC analysis indicates that a CRP value of less than 65 predicts safe discharge with a sensitivity of 86%, specificity of 89% and negative predictive value of 98% of safe discharge (area under the curve, AUC: 0.782). No significant difference in other inflammatory markers was found between both groups.Conclusions: CRP increases postoperatively for 4-5 d which could be a physiological response to surgery, however, prolonged elevation or a secondary increase in CRP may indicate an ongoing infection. Our data validate the potential use of CRP levels to predict SSI. A multicentre study is warranted to investigate the role of CRP in predicting SSI.

Usefulness of inflammatory markers and clinical manifestation for an earlier method to diagnosis surgical site infection after spinal surgery.

PURPOSE: To put forward a method for earlier diagnosis of surgical site infection (SSI) after spinal surgery and identify the best cut-offs of the selective signs. METHODS: Ninety cases were prospectively collected in consecutive patients who underwent spinal surgery. The patients were divided into the SSI group and the normal group. White blood cell (WBC) count, lymphocyte count, serum amyloid A (SAA), procalcitonin (PCT) and C-reactive protein (CRP) were collected pre-operatively and at three andsix days post-operatively. Erythrocyte sedimentation rates (ESR) were acquired pre-operatively and at six days post-operatively. Body temperature (BT) was measured every day during hospitalisation. The conditions of the surgical sites were recorded at three and six days post-operatively. Differences of BT, the conditions of the wound and the values of the inflammatory markers between the two groups were studied. Finally, we used the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC curve) to determine the best cut-offs of the selected signs. RESULTS: Of the 90 patients, SSI occurred in seven and five of them reached a definite diagnosis of SSI as their bacterial cultures were positive. Significant differences were found in CRP levels at three and six days post-operatively with a cut-off of > 59.4 mg/L and > 34.9 mg/L, respectively; ESR level at six days post-operatively with a cut-off of > 51.5 mm/h; PCT at three days post-operatively with a cut-off of > 0.11 ng/mL; and BT at three days post-operatively with a cut-off of > 37 °C. Also, examination of the wound is also an important sign of SSI. CONCLUSION: CRP, ESR and PCT are considered useful markers for earlier diagnosis of SSI. Combining the above markers with BT and the wound condition yields more accurate results.

Incidence and microbiology of post-operative infections after radical cystectomy and ureteral stent removal; a retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Post-operative infections are frequent after radical cystectomy with urinary diversion surgery (UDS). Reduction of post-operative infections necessitates appropriate peri-operative antimicrobial prophylaxis targeting causative bacteria. We assessed the incidence and microbiology of infections in the 30-day post-operative period after UDS and investigated effectiveness of the currently used peri-operative antibacterial prophylaxis. METHODS: Retrospective cohort study of all patients undergoing UDS in a tertiary university medical center from January 2014 until September 2016. Antibiotic prophylaxis consisted of cefazolin plus metronidazol according to the Dutch national guideline. Primary outcome was the incidence of post-operative infections within 30 days. Risk factors for post-operative infections and antimicrobial susceptibility profiles of cultured bacteria were also assessed. RESULTS: 147 patients were included. 69 patients (46.9%) had 82 post-operative infections, 27 of which were patients with bacteremia (18.4%). Highest incidence of infections was on day 4-5 and on day 8-10 postoperatively. The second peak was associated with ureteral stent removal. 4.8% of 147 study patients developed bacteremia 24 h after stent removal, which counted for 25.9% of all bacteremia episodes found in this study. Enterobacteriaceae were cultured in 67.9% of blood cultures and were only highly susceptible to ciprofloxacine, piperacillin-tazobactam (90%), meropenem and gentamicin (100%). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed orthotopic Hautmann neobladder to be associated with increased infections complications: odds ratio 4.1 (95% confidence interval 1.6-10.5), p = 0.03. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of infections after radical cystectomy is high and particularly ureteral stent removal was associated with both bacteremia and complicated urinary tract infections. Based on the results of this study, antibiotic prophylaxis might need to be broadened for patients undergoing radical cystectomy. Further research is required to investigate whether current guidelines need to be altered concerning administration of antibiotic prophylaxis just before stent removal.

Antibiotic prophylaxis may not be indicated for prevention of dental implant infections in healthy patients. A systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of the present systematic review and meta-analysis is to determine the efficacy of antibiotic prophylaxis and specific antibiotic regimens in dental implant placement for prevention of post-operative infection (POI) in overall healthy patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Electronic database and manual searches were independently conducted to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Publications were selected on basis of eligibility criteria and then assessed for risk-of-bias using the Cochrane Handbook. The primary outcome was POI (total, early, and late). Wound dehiscence, pain, and adverse events were studied as secondary outcomes. Random-effects meta-analysis was conducted for risk ratios of dichotomous data. This systematic review was conducted in accordance with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines. RESULTS: With duplicates removed, 1022 abstracts were screened and 22 full-text articles assessed; 10 RCTs of 1934 total patients were included. Meta-analysis did not detect statistically significant differences in total (P = 0.82), early (1-2 week post-op) (P = 0.57), or late (3-4 months post-op) (P = 0.66) POIs, wound dehiscence (P = 0.31), and adverse events (P = 0.21), between antibiotic and no-antibiotic groups. Confounding variables identified. CONCLUSION: The results of this systematic review suggest that antibiotic prophylaxis may not be indicated for prevention of POIs following dental implant placement in overall healthy patients. These findings and in light of antibiotic-associated risks for individual and public health demand revaluation of routine prescription of antibiotic prophylaxis in dental implant placement procedures. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: It is up to the clinicians to evaluate the benefits (or lack thereof) of antibiotic prophylaxis for each patient given medical history and surgical complexity, until new evidence becomes available.

Meningitis in a Chinese adult patient caused by Mycoplasma hominis: a rare infection and literature review.

BACKGROUND: Mycoplasma hominis, a well known cause of neonatal infection, has been reported as a pathogen in urogenital infections in adults; however, central nervous system (CNS) infections are rare. We report here the first case of M. hominis meningitis in China, post neurosurgical treatment for an intracerebral haemorrhage in a 71-year-old male. CASE PRESENTATION: We describe a 71-year-old man who developed M. hominis meningitis after neurosurgical treatment and was successfully treated with combined azithromycin and minocycline therapy of 2 weeks duration, despite delayed treatment because the Gram stain of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) yielded no visible organisms. The diagnosis required 16S rDNA sequencing analysis of the cultured isolate from CSF. Literature review of M. hominis CNS infections yielded 19 cases (13 instances of brain abscess, 3 of meningitis, 1 spinal cord abscess and 1 subdural empyema each). Delay in diagnosis and initial treatment failure was evident in all cases. With appropriate microbiological testing, antibiotic therapy (ranging from 5 days to 12 weeks) and often, multiple surgical interventions, almost all the patients improved immediately. CONCLUSIONS: Both our patient findings and the literature review, highlighted the pathogenic potential of M. hominis together with the challenges prompted by rare infectious diseases in particular for developing countries laboratories with limited diagnostic resources.

The outcomes of reconstruction using frozen autograft combined with iodine-coated implants for malignant bone tumors: compared with non-coated implants.

OBJECTIVE: We perform reconstruction using frozen tumor bone treated by liquid nitrogen after excision of malignant bone tumors. To prevent post-operative infection, we use iodine-coated implants that we developed. The purpose of this study is to compare the outcome of reconstruction using frozen autograft with non-coated implants (group N) and iodine-coated implants (group I). METHODS: Sixty-two patients were included in group N. The mean age was 31.9 ± 2.3 years. A total of 20 patients died and two were lost to follow-up, averaging 20.0 ± 2.9 months post-operatively, leaving 40 patients available for an assessment at a mean of 79.1 ± 5.8 months post-operatively. There were 38 patients in group I. The mean age was 29.8 ± 3.9 years. The mean follow-up period was 32.1 ± 3.0 months. All patients were alive at the latest follow-up. Survival of frozen bone was determined by Kaplan-Meier analysis. RESULTS: In group N, survival of frozen bone was 80.7 ± 6.0% and 57.4 ± 10.2% at 5 and 10 years, respectively. Complications were encountered in 31 of 62 patients (50.0%), including deep infection in 10 (16.1%), fracture in 11 (17.7%), local soft-tissue recurrence in 6 (9.7%) and bone absorption in 4 (6.5%). In group I, survival of frozen bone was 86.7 ± 6.3% at 5 years. Complications were encountered in 8 of 38 patients (21.1%), including deep infection in one (2.6%), fracture in four (10.5%), local soft-tissue recurrence in two (5.3%) and bone absorption in one (2.6%). There was a significantly lower infection rate in group I (P = 0.032). CONCLUSION: Reconstruction using frozen autograft combined with iodine-coated implants for patients with malignant bone tumor is very useful method in which good limb function can be gained with minimized risk of infection.

What are the risk factors for post-operative infection after hip hemiarthroplasty? Systematic review of literature.

BACKGROUND: Femoral neck fractures are frequent in the elderly population and lead to high morbidity and mortality. Hemiarthroplasty is an established surgical procedure for displaced intracapsular femoral neck fractures. Post-operative infection is frequent and is potentially devastating for the patient and the healthcare services. The goal of this study was to identify the risk factors of infection after hemiarthroplasty and help adapt our surgical practice. METHODS: A systematic review of the literature was performed in July 2015 by two authors using the MedLine, PubMed and Cochrane databases. We used the MeSH keywords "hip hemiarthroplasty" AND "infection" to identify risk factors and methods of prevention for surgical site infection after hemiarthroplasty. Following the search, two authors independently performed the first stage based on titles and abstracts. RESULTS: Thirty-seven articles were selected. Review and analysis of the references was performed to find other articles of interest. Thirteen articles were selected to analyse. According to literature, the surgical site infection (SSI) rate after hip hemiarthroplasty (HHA) is between 1.7 and 7.3 %. Pre-operative comorbidities (obesity, liver disease, advanced age), operative conditions (junior surgeon, uncemented stems, time of surgery) and post-operative management (length of hospitalisation, haematoma, prolonged wound drainage and two urinary catheterisations) were identified as risk factors of surgical site infection. Authors describe conditions to decrease the incidence of these complications and underline the importance of "a specialised hip team" that provides fast care and helps decrease the duration of hospitalisation. CONCLUSIONS: Careful patient management for hemiarthroplasty is vital and may decrease the incidence of surgical site infection, which is associated with high morbidity and high procedure cost. Our review suggests that there are specific correctable risk factors for SSIs after HHA. Being able to identify these risk factors leads to better care because of SSI prevention in patients undergoing HHAs after femoral neck fractures. To improve the outcomes, some methods of prevention of surgical site infection are available: before, during and after the operation. STUDY DESIGN: Review of literature. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: IV.

Prophylactic antibiotic regimen and dental implant failure: a meta-analysis.

The aim of this meta-analysis was to investigate whether there are any positive effects of prophylactic antibiotic regimen on implant failure rates and post-operative infection when performing dental implant treatment in healthy individuals. An electronic search without time or language restrictions was undertaken in March 2014. Eligibility criteria included clinical human studies, either randomised or not. The search strategy resulted in 14 publications. The I(2) statistic was used to express the percentage of the total variation across studies due to heterogeneity. The inverse variance method was used with a fixed- or random-effects model, depending on the heterogeneity. The estimates of relative effect were expressed in risk ratio (RR) with 95% confidence interval. Six studies were judged to be at high risk of bias, whereas one study was considered at moderate risk, and six studies were considered at low risk of bias. The test for overall effect showed that the difference between the procedures (use versus non-use of antibiotics) significantly affected the implant failure rates (P = 0.0002), with a RR of 0.55 (95% CI 0.41-0.75). The number needed to treat (NNT) to prevent one patient having an implant failure was 50 (95% CI 33-100). There were no apparent significant effects of prophylactic antibiotics on the occurrence of post-operative infections in healthy patients receiving implants (P = 0.520). A sensitivity analysis did not reveal difference when studies judged as having high risk of bias were not considered. The results have to be interpreted with caution due to the presence of several confounding factors in the included studies.

Impact of Metabolic Syndrome on Post-Operative Infection in Patients Undergoing Flexible Ureteroscopy Lithotripsy.

Background: To investigate retrospectively whether metabolic syndrome (MetS) of flexible ureteroscopy (fURS) lithotripsy can be used to predict post-operative infection. Patients and Methods: After screening, 1,110 patients who received fURS lithotripsy for upper urinary tract stones in our center between January 2015 and December 2022 were analyzed retrospectively. Patients were divided into MetS-positive group and MetS-negative group. Post-operative infection was divided into fever, urosepsis, and septic shock. Relevant data during the peri-operative period were collected. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were adopted to estimate the impact of metabolic syndrome on post-operative infection in patients undergoing fURS lithotripsy. Results: Among the 1,110 patients, 427 tested positive for MetS, whereas 683 tested negative. Eighty-eight patients suffered from fever (67 patients in the MetS-positive group and 21 in the MetS-negative group). Forty-nine patients had urosepsis (29 patients in the MetS-positive group and 20 in the MetS-negative group), of whom seven patients developed septic shock. No patient developed multiple organ failure or died because of infection. The prevalence of post-operative infections in the MetS-positive group was higher than that in the MetS-negative group (p < 0.001). Multivariable logistic regression analyses showed that diabetes mellitus, MetS-positive, positive urine culture, and longer operation time were positively correlated with post-operative fever. Positive MetS, positive urine culture, and longer operation time were strongly correlated with post-operative urosepsis. Conclusions: Metabolic syndrome was found to be associated with post-operative infection in patients undergoing fURS lithotripsy, suggesting it can serve as a predictive factor.