The aim of this study was to determine the impact of the severity of anaemia on postoperative complications following total hip arthroplasty (THA) and total knee arthroplasty (TKA). A retrospective cohort study was conducted using the American College of Surgeons National Quality Improvement Program (ACS-NSQIP) database. All patients who underwent primary TKA or THA between January 2012 and December 2017 were identified and stratified based upon hematocrit level. In this analysis, we defined anaemia as packed cell volume (Hct) < 36% for women and < 39% for men, and further stratified anaemia as mild anaemia (Hct 33% to 36% for women, Hct 33% to 39% for men), and moderate to severe (Hct < 33% for both men and women). Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to evaluate the incidence of multiple adverse events within 30 days of arthroplasty.Aims
Methods
This study aimed to assess the performance of an automated multiplex polymerase chain reaction (mPCR) technique for rapid diagnosis of native joint septic arthritis Consecutive patients with suspected septic arthritis undergoing aseptic diagnostic joint aspiration were included. The aspirate was used for analysis by mPCR and conventional microbiological analysis. A joint was classed as septic according to modified Newman criteria. Based on receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis, the area under the ROC curve (AUC) values of the mPCR and the synovial fluid culture were compared using the z-test. A total of 72 out of 76 consecutive patients (33 women, 39 men; mean age 64 years (22 to 92)) with suspected septic arthritis were included in this study.Aims
Patients and Methods
We compared the use of broth culture medium for
samples taken in theatre with the standard practice of placing tissue
samples in universal containers. A total of 67 consecutive patients
had standard multiple samples of deep tissue harvested at surgery
and distributed equally in theatre either to standard universal
containers or to broth culture medium. These samples were cultured
by direct and enrichment methods. The addition of broth in theatre to
standard practice led to an increase in sensitivity from 83% to
95% and an increase in negative predictive value from 77% to 91%.
Placing tissue samples directly into broth in the operating theatre
is a simple, inexpensive way to increase the sensitivity of cultures
from infected patients, and does not appear to compromise the specificity
of these cultures. Cite this article:
The purpose of this article is to provide the
reader with a seven-step checklist that could help in minimising
the risk of PJI. The check list includes strategies that can be
implemented pre-operatively such as medical optimisation, and reduction
of the bioburden by effective skin preparation or actions taking
during surgery such as administration of timely and appropriate
antibiotics or blood conservation, and finally implementation of
post-operative protocols such as efforts to minimise wound drainage
and haematoma formation. Cite this article:
