title: Surgical site infection with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus after primary total hip replacement.
abstract: We have analysed the management and clinical outcome of a series of consecutive patients who had a total hip replacement and developed post-operative surgical site infection (SSI) with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. The incidence of this infection was 1% over a period of five years. We studied SSI in 15 patients (16 infections) with a mean age of 72.7 years (53 to 81). In all, 12 of the infections occurred early and half of the infections involved the prosthesis, resulting in an increase of 11-fold in the cumulative hospital stay. Methicillin-resistant Staph. aureus was successfully eradicated in all the patients after a mean follow-up of 53.6 months (25 to 88). Superficial incisional infections resolved after antibiotic therapy alone while deep infections required multiple operative debridements. Attempted retention of the implant in early organ space infections was successful in only one of five patients. Only three patients with implant-level infections obtained a pain-free, functional prosthesis while a further three required excision arthroplasty. We have formulated a protocol of treatment which may serve as a guide in the management of these infections.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery, Merlin Park University Hospital, Dublin Road, Galway, Ireland. raywalls1@hotmail.com
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Walls
authors.forename: S J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Roche
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: O'Rourke
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: McCabe
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D019644:Arthroplasty, Replacement, Hip; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy; D003646:Debridement; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D016106:Methicillin Resistance; D008875:Middle Aged; D016459:Prosthesis-Related Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000187:drug effects*; D013530:Surgical Wound Infection / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy; D007507:Therapeutic Irrigation
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents