Decreased Hospital Costs and Surgical Site Infection Incidence With a Universal Decolonization Protocol in Primary Total Joint Arthroplasty

Jeffrey B. Stambough, Denis Nam, David K. Warren, James A. Keeney, John C. Clohisy, Robert L. Barrack, Ryan M. Nunley

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

58 Scopus citations

Abstract

Background Staphylococcus aureus colonization has been identified as a key modifiable risk factor in the reduction of surgical site infections (SSI) related to elective total joint arthroplasty (TJA). We investigated the incidence of SSIs and cost-effectiveness of a universal decolonization protocol without screening consisting of nasal mupirocin and chlorhexidine before elective TJA compared to a program in which all subjects were screened for S aureus and selectively treated if positive. Methods We reviewed 4186 primary TJAs from March 2011 through July 2015. Patients were divided into 2 cohorts based on the decolonization regimen used. Before May 2013, 1981 TJA patients were treated under a “screen and treat” program while the subsequent 2205 patients were treated under the universal protocol. We excluded the 3 months around the transition to control for treatment bias. Outcomes of interest included SSI and total hospital costs. Results With a universal decolonization protocol, there was a significant decrease in both the overall SSI rate (5 vs 15 cases; 0.2% vs 0.8%; P = .013) and SSIs caused by S aureus organisms (2 vs 10; 0.09% vs 0.5%; P = .01). A cost analysis accounting for the cost to administer the universal regimen demonstrated an actual savings of $717,205.59. TJA complicated by SSI costs 4.6× more to treat than that of an uncomplicated primary TJA. Conclusion Our universal decolonization paradigm for elective TJA is effective in reducing the overall rate of SSIs and promoting economic gains for the health system related to the downstream savings accrued from limiting future reoperations and hospitalizations.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)728-734.e1
JournalJournal of Arthroplasty
Volume32
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - Mar 1 2017

Keywords

  • Staphylococcus aureus
  • cost effectiveness
  • decolonization
  • prosthetic joint infection
  • surgical site infection
  • total joint arthroplasty

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Decreased Hospital Costs and Surgical Site Infection Incidence With a Universal Decolonization Protocol in Primary Total Joint Arthroplasty'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this