Abstract

David Graham, Ian Williams , Benjamin Parkinson , Nicholas Stewart and David Cottle

Purpose: The goal of this study was to investigate whether our institution adhered to current guidelines for the use of prophylactic antibiotics in hip and knee arthroplasty. Type of Study: Retrospective case series. Methods: Data on the administration of prophylactic antibiotics for 798 consecutive total hip arthroplasty, total knee arthroplasty, and hip hemiarthroplasty procedures were recorded. All primary and revision procedures were included. This data has been analysed to assess if antibiotic prophylaxis administration has followed the current American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons guidelines. Results: Prophylactic antibiotics were correctly administered in 266 cases (91.4%) of THR, 259 cases (92.5%) of TKR, 148 cases (86%) of hip hemiarthroplasties, 34 cases (82.9%) of revision THR and 13 cases (92.9%) of revision TKR. Conclusions: The benefit of appropriate prophylactic antibiotic administration in joint arthroplasty is well established and documented in the literature1. This study demonstrates that 9.8% of patients undergoing hip and knee arthroplasty procedures are not receiving antibiotic prophylaxis as per AAOS guidelines. This highlights that there is scope for improving current practice and demonstrates the need for clinical audit to ensure that best practice is being undertaken. Level of evidence: Level IV, case series