Inexpensive rinsing effective at reducing post-op infection following joint replacement surgery


A rinsing technique with betadine that costs just a little over one dollar per patient may significantly reduce the infection rate following total knee and hip joint replacement surgery according to a study by researchers at Rush University Medical Center.

The study, presented at the American Association of Orthopedic Surgeons 2011 Annual Meeting, found that a three minute diluted betadine lavage combined with painting of the skin with a 10% betadine solution prior to surgical closure nearly eliminated early deep post-operative infection.

Deep periprosthetic joint infection is a rare but devastating complication associated with total joint replacement. Despite aseptic techniques, careful skin preparation and prophylactic antibiotics, deep infections still occur with a prevalence ranging from 0.3% to 1.9%.

Previous research has shown that a diluted betadine lavage of the surgical wound prior to closure reduces the rate of post-operative infection in orthopedic, urologic, cardiovascular and general surgery but it has not been previously studied in total joint arthroplasty.