Risk factors for periprosthetic joint infection of the hip and knee.

Aim To investigate risk factors for the development of prosthetic joint infection. Methods A group of 50 patients with periprosthetic infection was compared with a group of 100 randomly selected patients with total hip or knee arthroplasty without infectious complications. Twelve risk factors in both groups were analysed. Results Five factors showed to be significant: body mass index higher than 40, diabetes mellitus on insulin therapy, kidney and liver disease, vascular disease of the lower extremities and positive drain tip culture. Conclusion One of the ways to reduce the incidence of periprosthetic infection is the maximum possible elimination of risk factors in patients who have a high probability of endoprosthesis infection. If this elimination is not possible for a long time, it is advisable to consider abandoning the planned operation.

Impact of hand hygiene knowledge on the hand hygiene compliance.

Aim Hand hygiene practice is still burdened by inadequate compliance, whether in the professional sphere by health professionals or in the non-professional sphere by lay population. Aim of this study was to map the hand hygiene knowledge and its compliance in the monitored group of people. Methods The research was conducted at the Jessenius Faculty of Medicine in Martin of Comenius University in Bratislava (JFM CU) among seventy 3rd year students of General Medicine (medical study program), and Nursing, Midwifery and Public Health (non-medical study programs). Knowledge of hygienic hand washing according to the WHO guidelines from 2009 was investigated, as well as differences in the level of microbial contamination of hands after routine hand washing between the group that had been acquainted with hand hygiene protocols and the group that had not sufficiently. Results The results have shown that 32.9% of the students did not perform hygienic hand washing properly. The differences between the groups of students with and without the proper hand hygiene compliance in routine hand washing were not statistically significant. Conclusion The results of our survey have suggested that the reasons for decreased compliance with hand washing protocols may be related to forgetting to wash the hands or not being acquainted with hand washing protocols at all. The strategies focused only on one aspect of hand hygiene are, according to scientific literature, ineffective in the long term.

The most common etiological agents of prosthetic joint infections in orthopaedics.

Aim To determine the spectrum of causative agent of prosthetic joint infections in orthopaedics. Methods In the group of 50 patients with periprosthetic infection the results of microbiological analysis of minimally two samples gained intraoperatively were analysed. Results The only pathogen in the group of acute infection was Staphylococcus (S.) aureus. In case of delayed infection the most frequent pathogen was also S. aureus and in case of late infection it was coagulase-negative staphylococcus. Conclusion A better understanding of the most common agents responsible for prosthetic joint infection helps us to properly prepare the patient (by eradicating of potential focus) with adequate antibiotic prophylaxis and early treatment of suspected infections to further reduce the incidence of infectious complications in orthopaedics. It is important to bear in mind that patients who have undergone total joint replacement have a risk of infection for the rest of their lives.