Riassunto dello studio

As confirmed by a poll of our OE community, infection is the biggest and most concerning problem in Total Joint Arthroplasty (TJA). Rates of infection have plateaued over time, and can have devastating consequences including multiple revision surgeries, amputations, and even death. Various irrigation solutions have been investigated for their potential ability to reduce rates of periprosthetic joint infection (PJI). Betadine (povidone-iodine), which is already the second most commonly used irrigation solution as confirmed by our OE community, has shown promise in this regard. This is the first trial to test Betadine vs. Normal Saline in the context of aseptic revision TJA surgery. After randomizing 478 patients to Betadine vs. Saline, the authors reported a significant reduction in the rates of infection from 3.4% to 0.5% in the intervention group. Overall, this shows great promise for Betadine and warrants further investigation in primary TJA and other contexts.