A study recently published in the Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery discusses methods to avoid infection during posterior cervical spine surgery. The researchers gathered data from 1,001 consecutive all-posterior cervical spine surgeries at a single institution from 1995 to 2010. The patients either underwent standard perioperative intravenous antibiotics; alcohol foam and drain; or vancomycin with alcohol foam and drain for infection control. The retrospective review found:
1. Significantly higher rates of infection among patients with an active smoking history.
2. Higher infection rates among patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
3. Higher infection rates among patients with a body mass index of 30 or greater.
4. Among the patients who received vancomycin with alcohol foam and drain (195 patients) no infections were reported.
5. In the group that received the standard perioperative intravenous antibiotics alone, there was a higher rate of infection.
Authors of the article include Joshua M. Pahys, MD, of Albert Einstein Medical Center in Philadelphia; Samuel K. Cho, MD, of Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City; Matthew M. Kang, MD, of Regions Hospital in St. Paul; Lukas P. Zebala, MD, of Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis; Ammar H. Hawasli, MD, of Washington University School of Medicine; Fred A. Sweet, MD, of Rockford (Ill.) Spine Center; Dong-Ho Lee, MD, of Washington University School of Medicine; and K. Daniel Riew, MD, of Washington University Medical Center.
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