[Gas gangrene after aseptic orthopedic surgery]

Gas gangrene following scheduled orthopedic surgery is not uncommon. In order to assess its frequency and prognosis, identify possible predisposing factors and suggest preventive measures, we reviewed the records of 22 patients (14 males and 8 females, mean age 40 +/- 20 years) admitted between 1969 and 1987 who developed gas gangrene in the wake of orthopedic surgery. In all cases the lower limbs were the site of operation: the knee in 9, the hip in 4, the femur in 4 and the leg in 5 cases. Surgical procedures included on-site foreign material in 19 cases, pneumatic tourniquet in 6 and prolonged vascular stretch in 9. Infection was diagnosed within 1.4 +/- 1.1 days of surgery; local signs, especially crepitants and pain, were prominent for the diagnosis. Pathologic findings consisted of myonecrosis in 18 patients and cellulitis in 4. Local bacteriological studies, carried out in 19 patients, yielded organisms in 14, including 12 with Clostridia perfringens. Four patients (one despite surgical treatment) died within 24 hours of admission. The remainder were treated with a combination of surgery, antimicrobial therapy (18) and hyperbaric oxygen (17). Subsequently, 13 patients had severe functional disability, while 5 recovered without sequelae. In view of the poor prognosis of gas gangrene, several preventive measures are suggested during aseptic surgery of the lower limbs. Careful skin preparation, cleaning of the anal region and short-term prophylactic antibiotic therapy with cefamandole or amoxycillin-clavulanic acid, are among them.