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The Bone & Joint Journal
Vol. 105-B, Issue 11 | Pages 1135 - 1139
1 Nov 2023
Young SW Chen W Clarke HD Spangehl MJ

Prophylactic antibiotics are important in reducing the risk of periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) following total knee arthroplasty. Their effectiveness depends on the choice of antibiotic and the optimum timing of their administration, to ensure adequate tissue concentrations. Cephalosporins are typically used, but an increasing number of resistant organisms are causing PJI, leading to the additional use of vancomycin. There are difficulties, however, with the systemic administration of vancomycin including its optimal timing, due to the need for prolonged administration, and potential adverse reactions. Intraosseous regional administration distal to a tourniquet is an alternative and attractive mode of delivery due to the ease of obtaining intraosseous access. Many authors have reported the effectiveness of intraosseous prophylaxis in achieving higher concentrations of antibiotic in the tissues compared with intravenous administration, providing equal or enhanced prophylaxis while minimizing adverse effects. This annotation describes the technique of intraosseous administration of antibiotics and summarizes the relevant clinical literature to date. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2023;105-B(11):1135–1139


Orthopaedic Proceedings
Vol. 94-B, Issue SUPP_XLI | Pages 58 - 58
1 Sep 2012
Young S Vince K Coleman B
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Despite modern surgical techniques, reported rates of deep infection following Total Knee Replacement (TKR) persist between 1–2.5%. Coagulase-negative staphylococcus (CNS) has become the most common causative organism, and while growth of CNS is more indolent thanstaphylococcus aureus, it has a relatively higher minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) against cephalosporins. Tissue concentrations of prophylactic antibiotics may fall below this level during TKR with conventional ‘systemic’ dosing. Regional administration of prophylactic antibiotics via a foot vein following tourniquet inflation has been shown to provide tissue concentrations approximately 10 times higher than systemic dosing, however cannulation of a foot vein is difficult, time consuming, and may compromise sterility. Intraosseous cannulation offers an alternative method of accessing the vascular system, and the aim of this study was to assess its effectiveness in administration of prophylactic antibiotics. 22 patients undergoing primary total knee arthroplasty were randomised into two groups. Group 1 received 1g of cephazolin systemically 10 minutes prior to tourniquet inflation. In Group 2 the EZ-IO tibial cannulation system was used, and 1g of cephazolin was administered intraosseously in 200ml of normal saline following tourniquet inflation and prior to skin incision. Subcutaneous fat and femoral bone samples were taken at set intervals during the procedure, and antibiotic concentrations measured using High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC). There were no significant differences in patient demographics, comorbidities, or physical parameters between groups. The overall mean tissue concentration of cephazolin in subcutaneous fat was 185.9μg/g in the intraosseous group and 10.6μg/g in the systemic group (p<0.01). The mean tissue concentration in bone was 129.9 μg/g in the intraosseous group and 11.4μg/g in the systemic group (p<0.01). These differences were consistent across all sample time points throughout the procedure. No complications occurred in either group. Intraosseous regional administration can achieve tissue levels of antibiotic over an order of magnitude higher than systemic administration. Further work is required to determine if there is clinical benefit in preventing infection, particularly against CNS. This novel mode of drug administration may also have other applications, allowing ‘surgical site delivery’ of medication while minimising systemic side effects