Infections by Dr. Rubinstein
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September 16, 2007 Hi All, This is an important topic that is always a worry so I feel a comment is warranted here. First, fortunately infections are rare so you should not all go running around being paranoid about getting one. A little common sense and care can prevent most infections. Antibiotics for dental work is an easy thing to do and very effective in preventing circulating bacteria from the mouth. As for cuts and scrapes the body handles most small ones very well but a little neosporin doesn’t hurt. The real worry is if the cut starts to get infected. In those cases you should contact your surgeon and might be put on an oral antibiotic. The same goes for infected ingrown toenails and the like. That said most of these superficial infections never get to the hip implant but an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. The other source of infection is contamination at the time of surgery. Any competent surgeon is very careful about the operating room environment in an effort to prevent contamination. Antibiotics are given for 24 hours, isolation suits with exhaust helmets are used and meticulous attention to sterility is ensured. That will prevent most but not all infections. Most studies put infection rates somewhere between 0.25 and 1%. I monitor all my cases to be sure that number is not exceeded. For my cases personally I am well below even 0.25% for the last 5 years and work very hard to keep it that way. Hope that answers every ones questions. Scott Rubinstein M.D. www.hiportho.com & www.ibji.com |