Bacteriological Swabs in Hip Surgery

Abstract

A prospective trial was carried out in 70 patients undergoing elective total hip replacement, in order to correlate bacterial contaminants in the wound at operation with the subsequent clinical results. A new method of collecting bacteria via a swab left in the wound for the duration of the operation proved to be as effective as the conventional swabbing technique in patients with known previous hip sepsis who, following revision surgery, showed evidence of further infection.

Key words:

• arthroplasty
• hip
• bacterial swabs
• technique