Factors Associated with Surgical Field Bacterial Detection during Total Hip Arthroplasty

Total hip arthroplasty (THA) provides relief from hip pain and improves hip function. However, periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) remains an area of concern. We examined the detection rate of bacteria from surgical fields in wound closure, along with the relationship between bacterial detection rate and type of antiseptic, surgery time, and surgeon experience for 500 patients who underwent THA at our department. The mean age at surgery was 64.3 (± 27.3) years. The bacterial detection rate was 4.6%. None of the cases revealed PJI. No significant association between the detection rate and type of antiseptic used or surgery time was observed. However, for patients treated by surgeons with < 10 years of orthopedic experience, a detection rate of 7.3% was found, while a rate of 1.3% was observed for those treated by surgeons with ≥ 10 years of orthopedic experience. This finding indicated that orthopedic experience of less than 10 years was significantly associated with an increased bacterial detection rate (chi-square test, p=0.002). The detection rate was associated with surgeon experience but not with antiseptic type or surgery time. It is possible that intraoperative handling may increase the number of bacteria in surgical fields in wound closure.