Total hip replacement without deep infection in a standard operating room

Abstract

In a consecutive series of 298 total hip-joint replacements performed by a single surgeon using a standard operating room, early deep infection was eliminated by simple inexpensive methods of controlling contamination in the operating room. Settling-plate monitoring revealed an average of 4.8 colonies of bacterial growth per hour of exposure. All patients received prophylactic antibiotics. One patient had a superficial wound infection which was controlled with antibiotic therapy. No deep infections were encountered in the 252 hips followed for two to five years after operation. We conclude that total hip arthroplasty can be performed in the standard operating room without undue risk of infection by consistently employing strict measures of operating-room discipline to limit contamination.