Single dose intravenous regional antibiotic in clean orthopaedic procedures

Patients undergoing clean orthopaedic operations with tourniquet in Orthopaedic Department of a tertiary level hospital in Dhaka during August 1999 to March 2002 were consecutively enrolled in a prospective clinical study to explore the efficacy and safety of regional prophylaxis with single dose antibiotic. Eighty two patients with 83 operations received 750-mg cefuroxime in 40 & 20 ml of distilled water, into a dorsal vein of the foot or hand respectively to be operated on immediately after the tourniquet was inflated. Patients with bilateral operation, regional administration of cefuroxime were also repeated for the operation on the other extremity. Follow up ranged from 3 weeks to 2 years & 7 months. None of the patients experienced local or systemic adverse effects following regional administration of cefuroxime. Also none developed early infection (superficial or deep) during the follow-up period. Infective complications at distant sites like UTI were observed in one case with bilateral corrective osteotomy for knocked knee deformity. It was probably due to catheterization in the immediate post-operative period, which was rapidly cured following antibiotic treatment and removal of catheter. Regional administration of single dose antibiotic appears to be a safe and effective prophylaxis for the control of early infection in clean orthopaedic procedures. Late infection is blood borne and that can not be controlled by prophylactic use of antibiotic.