Skin preparation 'can reduce shoulder replacement surgery risks'

A skin preparation solution can be an effective way of reducing the risk of deep infection following shoulder replacement surgery, a new study has suggested.

Research published in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery showed that a combination of two per cent chlorhexidine gluconate with 70 per cent isopropyl alcohol (ChloraPrep) and DuraPrep, a mixture of 0.7 per cent iodophor and 74 per cent isopropyl alcohol, are able to eradicate bacteria.

The study found ChloraPrep and DuraPrep were both more effective than povidone-iodine, with the former having the highest level of efficacy.

Deep infection following shoulder replacement surgery is devastating and rare, the authors stated, but using an improved skin-preparation solution could be effective.

Both aerobic and anaerobic cultures were developed from the test patients to determine native bacteria in the shoulder.

In other news, the scientific journal recently reported that an infusion of ropivacaine following rotator cuff surgery does not improve outcomes, leading to no difference in maximum pain felt during the twelve hours following a procedure.

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