2025 ISAKOS Biennial Congress ePoster
No Significant Difference In Skin Contamination During Acl Reconstruction With And Without Pre-Operative Skin Cleaning
Benjamin Bartek, MD, Berlin GERMANY
Alexandra Völkner, MD candidate, Berlin GERMANY
Stephen Fahy, Dr, BSc, BmBs, MSC,MRCSI, Berlin GERMANY
Stephan Oehme, MD, Berlin, Berlin GERMANY
Tobias Winkler, Prof., MD, Berlin GERMANY
Tobias M. Jung, MD, Berlin GERMANY
Charité University Hospital, Berlin, GERMANY
FDA Status Not Applicable
Summary
Preoperative antiseptic skin cleansing did not significantly reduce bacterial contamination or early surgical site infections after ACL reconstruction, leading to the conclusion that preoperative antiseptic cleaning is not recommended for ACLR.
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Abstract
Purpose
Surgical site infection (SSI) represents a rare, but serious complication following ACL reconstruction (ACLR). In the field of arthroplasty preoperative skin cleansing with antiseptic soap has become common practice in an attempt to decrease contamination and thereby the risk of periprosthetic joint infection (PJI). The efficacy of pre-operative skin cleansing in knee arthroscopy and ACLR has yet to be determined. Our prospective study assessed the efficacy of preoperative antiseptic skin cleaning in reducing bacterial contamination during and early postoperative SSI after ACLR.
Methods
119 patients scheduled for ACLR were included in this prospective, single blinded, non-randomized study. Individuals were divided into two groups.
Patients inintervention group applied the octenisan® wash lotion daily for three days before surgery and used the wash solution instead of their usual shower gel. Additionally, they swiped their leg with octenisan® soaked gloves on the morning of the operation. The control group followed their usual wash routine with no specific instructions.
Fluid samples were taken before surgery and at 15-minute intervals during the procedure. Suture material used for the ACL graft and meniscus repair were also collected for testing. The samples were subjected to a 14-day incubation period.. Follow-up included outpatient visits at 6 weeks,12 weeks and 6 month with a final evaluation at 12 months.
Results
Contamination rates showed no significant difference between the control and intervention groups. The mean contamination rate in the control group was 6.38 % (n = 22) and 6.58 % (n = 24) in the intervention group (p= 0.28). No early SSI were observed in either group postoperatively.
Conclusion
We could not find differences in both contamination and early SSI between patients with or without antiseptic precleaning. Based on our results we cannot recommend the use of pre-operative antiseptic cleaning prior to ACLR.