Extra Antibiotic With Hip, Knee Replacement Won’t Prevent Infections: Study

Study Finds Extra Antibiotic Does Not Prevent Infections in Hip and Knee Replacements

Extra antibiotic won’t prevent infections in hip, knee replacement Study

By Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter

Hey there, folks! So, we all know that joint replacement surgeries are pretty common these days. Doctors often throw in a bonus antibiotic to prevent infections. But hold your horses, because here’s some news for you: Turns out, this strategy might not be so effective after all!

According to some research from our friends down under in Australia, adding a second antibiotic during hip and knee replacement surgery might actually increase the risk of infections. Who would’ve thought, right?

Trisha Peel, the cool professor of infectious diseases at Monash University’s Central Clinical School, shed some light on the matter. She said, “Given the number of joint replacements performed in Australia and globally, our trial has answered the important question about whether more antibiotics are better for our patients having joint replacement surgery: with the definitive answer being ‘no.’” Boom! Mic drop moment right there!

So, here’s the deal: About 1% to 5% of patients end up with post-surgery infections, and believe me, folks, that’s not something you want to mess with. So, the standard practice is to use an antibiotic called cefazolin to prevent infection. Works pretty well, or at least that’s what we thought.

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But here’s where things get interesting. Some bright minds in the medical world started using another antibiotic called vancomycin to tackle methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections. And guess what? Many medical centers jumped on board without clear evidence that it actually helps. We humans, always testing things without knowing the real deal!

To really sort this out, our friends in Australia studied over 4,200 patients across 11 hospitals. They gave some patients vancomycin along with cefazolin, while others got a saline placebo instead. And guess what again? The addition of vancomycin didn’t make any difference. Yep, you heard it right, folks. It was just as effective as a placebo. Who knew, right?

But here’s the twist: In patients undergoing knee joint replacement (knees can be pretty tricky, you know), the group that received vancomycin actually had a higher risk of infection (almost 6%!) compared to the placebo group (around 4%). Talk about a backfire!

Now, hold on, folks. Before we go any further, let’s hear it from the mastermind herself. Trisha Peel said, “A lot of things seem to make sense, but we don’t really know for sure until they are tested in a clinical trial. This is one of those cases – more antibiotics weren’t better, and in some people might have actually been worse.” Well said, Trisha, well said.

So, what’s the final verdict? According to this study, adding an extra antibiotic during hip and knee replacement surgery ain’t the way to go. Stick with good ol’ cefazolin, my friends.

Oh, and before I forget, if you want more information on joint replacement surgery, check out the U.S. National Institutes of Health. They’ve got all the juicy deets.

Alright, folks, that’s all for now. Remember, sometimes less is more, even when it comes to antibiotics. Stay healthy and take care!