Review of the national usage of antibiotics in arthroplasty surgery: a need for evidence-based prescribing.

INTRODUCTION: Surgical site infections (SSI) remain one of the most serious complications of arthroplasty surgery. The role of antibiotic prophylaxis in preventing SSI post-arthroplasty is well established. However, there is considerable heterogeneity in prophylactic prescribing across the United Kingdom (UK), which is contradicted by the contemporaneous evidence. This descriptive study aimed to compare the current first-line antibiotic recommendations across hospitals in the UK and The Republic of Ireland for elective arthroplasty procedures. METHODS: The MicroGuide mobile phone application was used to access hospital antibiotic guidelines. First-line antibiotic recommendation and dosing regimen for primary elective arthroplasties were recorded. FINDINGS: A total of nine distinct antibiotic regimens were identified through our search. The most frequently used first-line antibiotic was cefuroxime. This was recommended by 30 of the 83 (36.1%) hospitals in the study. This was followed by a combination of flucloxacillin and gentamicin, which was used by 38 of 124 (31%) hospitals. There was also significant heterogeneity in dosing regimens. A single prophylactic dose was most commonly recommended (52%); 4% of hospitals recommended two prophylactic doses, 19% three doses and 23% four doses. CONCLUSIONS: Single-dose prophylaxis is recognised as at least noninferior to multiple-dose prophylaxis in primary arthroplasty. There is considerable variation in the local antibiotic recommendations for surgical site prophylaxis post-primary arthroplasty surgery, with respect to both recommended first-line antibiotic and dosing regimens. With increasing emphasis on the importance of antibiotic stewardship and the emergence of antibiotic resistance, this study highlights the need for an evidence-based approach to prophylactic dosing across the UK.

Fibular nonunion after closed-wedge high tibial osteotomy.

UNLABELLED: Closed-wedge valgus high tibial osteotomy (HTO) has been reported to be an effective procedure for the treatment of medial compartment osteoarthritis of the knee. It requires shortening the fibula, for which many techniques have been described. Dislocation of the proximal tibiofibular joint limits the correction angle of the procedure and the osteotomy of the fibular head runs the rare but dramatic risk of common fibular nerve palsy, which is why many surgeons perform the osteotomy more distally at the shaft. However, the potential complications of fibula shaft osteotomy in closed-wedge proximal tibial osteotomy have been poorly reported. The purpose of this study is to accurately define the incidence and risk of fibular complications. MATERIALS AND METHODS: One hundred and eight patients (59 men, 49 women, 53±10years old, preoperative varus: 6.7°±4°) underwent a closed-wedge HTO with fibular shaft osteotomy between 1999 and 2004. They were followed up prospectively for clinical and radiological evaluation (2years of follow-up). The main evaluation criterion was the presence of fibular nonunion. RESULTS: Eighteen knees (16.6%) underwent fibular complications: 15 nonunions were indexed (13.9%); 11 of them (10.1%) required surgical revision. Three knees had nerve injury, with spontaneous recovery for two of them. DISCUSSION: Fibular nonunion is the most frequent complication, which often leads to revision procedures. Nonunion was correlated to the preoperative body mass index, the obliquity of the osteotomy plane, and the fragmentary contact. No nonunion was reported when the obliquity of the osteotomy plane was above 50° or the fragment contact greater than 50%. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV, therapeutic study.

Measurement of migration of soft tissue by modified Roentgen stereophotogrammetric analysis (RSA): validation of a new technique to monitor rotator cuff tears.

The purpose of this study was to develop a technique to use Roentgen stereophotogrammetric analysis (RSA) to measure migration of soft-tissue structures after rotator cuff repair. RSA stereo films were obtained; images were analysed using a semi-automatic software program allowing 3D viewing of results. RSA imaging experiments were performed to validate the technique, using a glass phantom with implanted RSA beads and an animal model with steel sutures as RSA markers which were moved known distances. Repeated measurements allowed assessment of inter- and intra-observer variability at a maximum of 1.06 mm. RSA analysis of the phantom showed a variation up to 0.22 mm for static and 0.28 mm for dynamic studies. The ovine tissue specimen demonstrated that using steel sutures as RSA markers in soft tissue is feasible, although less accurate than when measuring bone motion. This novel application of RSA to measure soft tissue migration is practicable and can be extended to in vivo studies.