Suction drain tip culture after orthopaedic surgery: Can it predict a surgical site infection?

Abstract

In orthopaedic surgery, wound infection is a dreaded complication while surgical asepsis and theatre asepsis are mandated to be of highest standards, yet there is a 3 to 11 percent incidence of post surgical wound infections, even in the best of the centres. While intra op and post op IV antibiotics are routinely used in prophylaxis, wound infections do occur. Routinely in orthopaedic major surgeries the drainage tube is removed after 48 hours. This study was conducted in the aim to establish wheat her the organism grown from the culture of the drainage tube tip has any bearing on the ability to predictindolent or impending wound infection, that the patient would suffer subsequently. This study was spread over 84 patients who underwent major orthopaedic procedures. Cases were followed up for 6months after surgery. Our study failed to corabarate the fact that drainage tube culture results reflects the chance of subsequent infection.