A Review of Surgical Irrigation Solutions for Infection Prevention in Orthopaedic Surgery

» Intraoperative surgical irrigation is a common practice in orthopaedic procedures, although there is no universally established standard of care due to a lack of concrete data supporting an optimal irrigation agent.» Isotonic normal saline has long been considered a safe and cost effective solution for wound irrigation as compared with other antibiotic and antiseptic irrigation solutions.» Currently, the only adjunct to saline that is formally supported by American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and World Health Organization is povidone-iodine.» Further in vivo clinical studies are needed to identify the ideal irrigation solution that carries low cytotoxic effects while also exerting optimal antimicrobial properties.