Post-operative infections following end-stage joint salvage reconstruction, tumor resection and megaprosthetic reconstruction is a major problem because of increasing infection rates in this patient cohort. The success of treatment and longevity is limited because current prosthetic composites do not decrease infection rates in these patients. Silver coating is an innovative development in the prevention of post-operative infection. Presented here is the current knowledge of the use of silver for this patient population including;
The current knowledge of the use of silver coated prostheses for infection control, Concerns with ion release and toxicity, Present current published results and USA experience Discuss current regulatory issues both domestically (USA) and worldwide. We report the results of a comprehensive review of the technology of silver coating application to prostheses and the published clinical results of the success of decreasing the incidence of post-operative infection following tumor resection and limb salvage. The current regulatory status of silver use for orthopaedics will also be discussed.INTRODUCTION
METHODS
