Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 13, 2025
Novel Diagnostics in Revision Arthroplasty: Implant Sonication and Multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction
Published on: December 3, 2017
Trial of Vancomycin and Cefazolin as Surgical Prophylaxis in Arthroplasty
Trisha N Peel1, Sarah Astbury1, Allen C Cheng1
1From the Department of Infectious Diseases, Central Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing, and Health Sciences (T.N.P., S. Astbury, J.W.), and the Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine (A.C.C.), Monash University, the Department of Infectious Diseases, Alfred Health (T.N.P., S. Astbury, A.C.C., J.R., J.W.), the Department of Infectious Diseases, Doherty Institute (K.L.B.), the Department of Surgery, St. Vincent's Hospital (T.S.), the Centre for Health Policy, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health (A.T.-D.), and the Department of Surgery, Epworth HealthCare (R.S.), University of Melbourne, the Victorian Infectious Diseases Service, Royal Melbourne Hospital (K.L.B.), and the Department of Health Services Research, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, and Burnet Institute (T.S.), Melbourne, VIC, the St. George and Sutherland Clinical Campuses, School of Clinical Medicine, University of New South Wales Medicine and Health, Sydney (S. Adie, R.M.), Bendigo Health, Bendigo, VIC (G.B.), the Department of Orthopaedics, Prince Charles Hospital, Metro North Hospital and Health Service (C.M., R.C.), the Department of Medicine (C.M.) and the Centre for Clinical Research (T.H.-B.), University of Queensland, and Queensland University of Technology (R.C.), Brisbane, the Department of Orthopaedics, Launceston General Hospital, Tasmanian Health Service, Launceston, TAS (J.M.), Gippsland Orthopaedic Group, Traralgon, VIC (P.R.), and Prince of Wales Hospital and Prince of Wales Private Hospital, Randwick, NSW (M.S.) - all in Australia; Advancing Clinical Evidence in Infectious Diseases, Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, and the Infectious Diseases Translational Research Program, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore (D.L.P.); and the Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm (T.S.).
Background:
The addition of vancomycin to beta-lactam prophylaxis in arthroplasty may reduce surgical-site infections; however, the efficacy and safety are unclear.
Methods:
In this multicenter, double-blind, superiority, placebo-controlled trial, we randomly assigned adult patients without known methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) colonization who were undergoing arthroplasty to receive 1.5 g of vancomycin or normal saline placebo, in addition to cefazolin prophylaxis. The primary outcome was surgical-site infection within 90 days after surgery.
Results:
A total of 4239 patients underwent randomization. Among 4113 patients in the modified intention-to-treat population (2233 undergoing knee arthroplasty, 1850 undergoing hip arthroplasty, and 30 undergoing shoulder arthroplasty), surgical-site infections occurred in 91 of 2044 patients (4.5%) in the vancomycin group and in 72 of 2069 patients (3.5%) in the placebo group (relative risk, 1.28; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.94 to 1.73; P = 0.11). Among patients undergoing knee arthroplasty, surgical-site infections occurred in 63 of 1109 patients (5.7%) in the vancomyin group and in 42 of 1124 patients (3.7%) in the placebo group (relative risk, 1.52; 95% CI, 1.04 to 2.23). Among patients undergoing hip arthroplasty, surgical-site infections occurred in 28 of 920 patients (3.0%) in the vancomyin group and in 29 of 930 patients (3.1%) in the placebo group (relative risk, 0.98; 95% CI, 0.59 to 1.63). Adverse events occurred in 35 of 2010 patients (1.7%) in the vancomycin group and in 35 of 2030 patients (1.7%) in the placebo group, including hypersensitivity reactions in 24 of 2010 patients (1.2%) and 11 of 2030 patients (0.5%), respectively (relative risk, 2.20; 95% CI, 1.08 to 4.49), and acute kidney injury in 42 of 2010 patients (2.1%) and 74 of 2030 patients (3.6%), respectively (relative risk, 0.57; 95% CI, 0.39 to 0.83).
Conclusions:
The addition of vancomycin to cefazolin prophylaxis was not superior to placebo for the prevention of surgical-site infections in arthroplasty among patients without known MRSA colonization. (Funded by the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council; Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry number, ACTRN12618000642280.).
Related Concept Videos
01:18Endocarditis III: Medical Management
01:22Healthcare Associated Infections II: Preventive Measures
The best practices for preventing healthcare-associated infections include hand hygiene, patient risk...
01:28Acute Pyelonephritis II: Diagnostic Studies and Management