Reusable suction tips can be a source of infection in joint arthroplasty: Tips for reducing periprosthetic joint infection

Abstract The purpose of this study was to analyze whether actual reusable suction tips can be a source of infection by incubating material on suction tips before and after surgery. A prospective study was planned, and 142 orthopedic patients scheduled for surgery were selected. Before and after surgery, the material from the reusable suction tips of the study group was incubated and analyzed by operation time to confirm whether the actual bacterial culture was positive. At the beginning of surgery, a culture-positive finding was seen in seven patients (5.1%). The suction tip investigation at the end of surgery showed bacterial contamination in only two patients (1.4%). Among the patients who were positive on the preoperative evaluation, none of them were positive in postoperative culture findings. None of the patients with positive postoperative culture had an operation time of less than three hours. To reduce the risk of infection when performing joint arthroplasty, great effort should be made to sterilize the surgical instruments, and it is recommended that the surgery be performed in a short time with a well-designed heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system.