Use of a provincial surveillance system to characterize postoperative surgical site infections after primary hip and knee arthroplasty in Alberta, Canada

The cost of managing complex surgical site infections following primary hip and knee arthroplasty: A population-based cohort study in Alberta, Canada

“…In Canada, more than 100,000 knee and hip replacements are performed annually, 1 including~10,000 in the province of Alberta. 2 In the United States,~700,000 hip and knee replacements are performed annually, and this number is expected to quadruple by the year 2030. 3 These procedures can significantly reduce pain and improve mobility and quality of life; however, 1%-2% of patients undergoing joint replacements in North America develop infection after surgery.…”

“…Staphylococcus aureus, including the virulent methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA), is the most common cause of postreplacement infections. 2 Given that these infections are difficult to cure, 15 it is plausible that managing patients with infections caused by S. aureus including MRSA would be more costly compared to other pathogens. Additionally, patients with certain comorbidities (eg, diabetes) are more likely to develop a postoperative SSI; thus, it is important to determine the cost of managing patients with different clinical characteristics.…”

A cost-effectiveness analysis of mupirocin and chlorhexidine gluconate for Staphylococcus aureus decolonization prior to hip and knee arthroplasty in Alberta, Canada compared to standard of care

“…There are over 100,000 hip and knee replacements performed yearly in Canada [1] with approximately 10,000 in Alberta, Canada. While these procedures frequently improve mobility, pain and quality of life, 1–2% of patients develop some level of periprosthetic infection after surgery [2, 3].…”

“…The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) separates surgical site infections (SSI) into superficial incisional, deep incisional and organ space infections [4]. Deep incisional/organ space infections are considered complex and roughly 1% of Albertans undergoing arthroplasty will develop one of these primary infections post-operatively [3].…”

“…Most commonly Staphylococcus aureus ( S.aureus ), including the virulent methicillin-resistant S.aureus (MRSA), cause post-replacement infections [3, 7, 12]. Though colonization with S.aureus is a risk factor for subsequent S.aureus SSI, there are no uniform guidelines around decolonization pre-operatively.…”