CORR Insights^®: Blended Chitosan Paste for Infection Prevention: Preliminary and Preclinical Evaluations

Excerpt

Orthopaedic infections are a challenging issue for both caregivers and patients. A former colleague who specializes in caring for patients with implant-related infections once told me that his patients undergo an average of six to eight surgeries before their first meeting. First-line management of this condition when it presents acutely might consist of irrigation and débridement, accompanied by the exchange of any modular elements of the implant, and administration of intravenous antimicrobials. Unfortunately, implant infections are characterized by the presence of drug-resistant biofilms, which can survive treatment by intravenous antibiotics. Common microbes typically encountered include Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermis, and Propionibacterium acnes. Most of these microbes can be killed by gentamicin, vancomycin, or cefazolin, among other drugs, but require high concentrations and long exposure times. …