title: Blood cultures for evaluation of early postoperative fever after femoral neck fracture surgery.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the utility of blood cultures in the assessment of early postoperative fever in hip fracture patients with no other indicators of sepsis.
  
  
  METHODS
  101 blood cultures were drawn on postoperative days 0 to 5 to investigate 84 febrile episodes in 31 women and 30 men (mean age, 80 years) whose body temperature measured via the tympanic route was ≥ 38 ºC. Culture results of these 61 patients were divided into culture-positive and culture-negative groups for comparison.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 101 blood cultures, only 2 were positive: one was obtained 5 days after dynamic hip screw fixation, and the other 4 days after hemiarthroplasty. Both blood cultures grew coagulase-negative staphylococcal species, which were deemed to be skin contaminants not requiring change of patient management. 44 of these patients were treated with oral or intravenous antibiotics for a period of time.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The risk of bacteraemia in patients with postoperative fever but no other symptoms of infection is low. Routine procurement of blood cultures in such patients is ineffective and of limited utility.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, The Prince Charles Hospital, Chermside, Australia.
authors.forename: Brahmarr
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Sivakumar
authors.forename: Praveen
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Vijaysegaran
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ottley
authors.forename: Ross
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Crawford
authors.forename: Christopher
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Coulter
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016470:Bacteremia / Q000209:etiology / Q000382:microbiology; D005260:Female; D005265:Femoral Neck Fractures / Q000601:surgery*; D005334:Fever / Q000209:etiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008828:Microbiological Techniques; D019637:Orthopedic Procedures / Q000009:adverse effects*; D012189:Retrospective Studies