title: The outcome of perioperative wound infection after total hip and knee arthroplasty.
abstract: Forty-one consecutive patients with primary knee arthroplasty and 37 with primary hip arthroplasty, all with perioperative wound infections, were followed for 50 (12-130) months. Staphylococci (coagulase negative and positive) accounted for 74% of wound infections. Mixed organisms accounted for 10%. Prosthetic infections developed in eight patients and aseptic loosening in three patients. All the prosthetic infections developed within 6 months of the primary surgery. Organisms responsible for superficial infections were responsible for prosthetic infection in five patients; no organisms were isolated in the remaining three patients. The presence or absence of wound dehiscence, wound haematoma, and postoperative pyrexia did not predict the development of deep sepsis; however, the presence of wound discharge was a significant risk factor.
authors.affiliation: Royal Orthopaedic Hospital, Bristol Road South, Northfield, Birmingham, UK.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Abudu
authors.forename: K A Z
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Sivardeen
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Grimer
authors.forename: P B
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Pynsent
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Noy
mesh_terms: D019644:Arthroplasty, Replacement, Hip; D019645:Arthroplasty, Replacement, Knee; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D013530:Surgical Wound Infection / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D016896:Treatment Outcome