title: Intraoperative subcutaneous wound closing culture sample: a predicting factor for periprosthetic infection after hip- and knee-replacement?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  It is unknown whether intraoperative subcutaneous wound closing culture samples (WCCS) are useful to predict periprosthetic joint infection (PJI).
  
  
  METHODS
  Here we prospectively followed 167 out of a total of 175 consecutive patients with primary total hip (THR) or knee replacement (TKR) between 01/2002 and 12/2002 for a mean follow-up period of 5 years; of those patients, n = 159 (96.8%) underwent WCCS.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The results showed a positive WCCS in n = 9 cases (5.8%). Nine patients developed postoperative wound complication and required revision surgery. Two patients developed signs of a deep periprosthetic infection; however, only one out of nine patients had initial positive WCCS.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results thus indicate that WCCS during primary joint replacement is not an appropriate predictive method to identify patients at risk for periprosthetic joint infections.
authors.affiliation: Department of Trauma and Orthopaedics, BG Trauma Centre Ludwigshafen at the University of Heidelberg, Ludwig-Guttmann-Str. 13, 67071 Ludwigshafen, Germany. christian.b.frank@t-online.de
authors.forename: Christian B
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Frank
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Adams
authors.forename: Markus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kroeber
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wentzensen
authors.forename: Volkmar
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Heppert
authors.forename: Dietrich
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Schulte-Bockholt
authors.forename: Thorsten
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Guehring
mesh_terms: D019072:Antibiotic Prophylaxis; D019644:Arthroplasty, Replacement, Hip; D019645:Arthroplasty, Replacement, Knee; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011446:Prospective Studies; D016459:Prosthesis-Related Infections / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000601:surgery; D012086:Reoperation; D012307:Risk Factors; D013530:Surgical Wound Infection / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000601:surgery