Riassunto dello studio

Nine studies (6 in quantitative analysis) were included in this study comparing pre-operative Staphylococcus aureus screening and decolonization and control in patients undergoing total joint arthroplasty. The primary outcome of interest was the pooled rate of surgical site infection and peri-prosthetic joint infection. Secondary outcomes of interest included the pooled rate of surgical site infection from Staphylococcus aureus, the pooled rate of infection of other bacteria, and pooled rate of superficial infection. Results found the pooled rates of surgical site infection, peri-prosthetic joint infection, superficial infection, and surgical site infection from Staphylococcus aureus to be significantly in favour of the screening and decolonization group. No significant difference in the pooled rate of surgical site infection from other bacteria was observed between the two groups.