Decreasing the Incidence of Surgical-Site Infections After Total Joint Arthroplasty.

Surgical-site infection (SSI) after total joint arthroplasty (TJA) continues to pose a challenge and place a substantial burden on patients, surgeons, and the healthcare system. Given the estimated 1.0% to 2.5% annual incidence of SSI after TJA, orthopedists should be cognizant of preventive measures that can help optimize patient outcomes. Advances in surgical technique, sterile protocol, and operative procedures have been instrumental in minimizing SSIs and may account for the recent plateau in rising rates. In this review, we identify and discuss preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative actions that can be taken to help reduce the incidence of SSIs, and we highlight the economic implications of SSIs that occur after TJA.
Competing Interests: Authors’ Disclosure Statement: Dr. Chughtai reports that he is a paid consultant for DJ Orthopaedics, Sage Products, and Stryker. Dr. Mont reports that he receives grants/fees from DJ Orthopaedics, Johnson & Johnson, Merz, Microport, National Institutes of Health, Ongoing Care Solutions, Orthosensor, Pacira Pharmaceuticals, Sage Products, Stryker, TissueGene, and US Medical Innovations; he is on the editorial/governing boards of The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, The American Journal of Orthopedics, Journal of Arthroplasty, Journal of Knee Surgery, Orthopedics, and Surgical Technology International. Dr. Delanois reports that he is a paid consultant and speaker for Corin and a Maryland Orthopaedic Association board/committee member, and he receives research support from OrthoFix Inc. and Stryker. The other authors report no actual or potential conflict of interest in relation to this article.