Antibiotic Prophylaxis in Knee Arthroscopy

Abstract

Abstract:Back ground: Knee arthroscopy has become one of the most common orthopedic procedures used for both ,diagnosis and treatment , probably due to low morbidity compared to arthrotomy(1). The reported rates of infectious complications following arthroscopy of the knee were low. This low rate of infection following knee arthroscopy rise the point of not using antibiotic prophylaxis in such procedures. Objective: Our aim is to determine the need and the effect of using prophylactic antibiotic in knee arthroscopy. Patients & Methods: We assessed all patients presented to our knee clinic at the Royal Rehabilitation Center at King Hussein Medical Center, in Amman/Jordan between Jan.2000 and Feb.2002. Patients who refused to be enrolled in the study and those who will need complex procedures as anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction or accompanied arthrotomy were excluded from the study. A total of 180 patients were included in the study and divided into two groups with equal numbers, group one patients were given 1 gram of 1st generation cephalosporines one hour prior surgery and the other group without antibiotic prophylaxis .All surgeries were under general end tracheal anesthesia with tourniquet. Patients were followed at days 1, 3,7and 3, 6 months for signs of infection.Results: There were no significant statistical differences between the two groups in terms of ages, pathology detected in knees, surgical procedures performed and operative time .No infection was detected in both groups during the follow up .No complication of antibiotic used was encountered.Conclusion: There is no value of using antibiotic prophylaxis as routine in knee arthroscopy and should be reserved for complex knee arthroscopy surgeries. Antibiotic usage may increase cost and may lead to antibiotic complications.