Intraoperative bacterial contamination in operations for joint replacement

All surgical operations have the potential for contamination, and the equip ment used can harbour bacteria. We collected samples from 100 elective prim ary hip and knee arthroplasties. These showed rates of contamination of 11. 4% for the sucker tips, 14.5% for light handles, 9.4% for skin blades and 3 .2% for the inside blades used during surgery; 28.7% of gloves used for pre paration were also contaminated, Of the samples taken from the collection b ags used during hip arthroplasty, 20% grew bacteria, which represents a sig nificant microbial reservoir. Also, 17% of theatre gowns were contaminated at the end of the operation. Contamination was found in 10% of the needles used during closure of the fascia, Overall, 76% of the organisms grown were coagulase-negative staphylococcus. A total of 63% of operations showed con tamination in the field of operation. Some changes in practice are suggeste d. Follow-up for a minimum of two years revealed one deep infection but the organism was not identified as a contaminant, These data provide a baselin e for studying the bacteriology of the surgery of revision arthroplasty.