Collaboration between orthopaedic surgeons and infection specialists in bone and joint infections

In spite of the implementation of certain aseptic procedures in joint prosthetic surgery with so-called clean room air and special body exhaust gowns, as well as the use of multiple antiseptic measures such as preoperative decontamination and antibiotic prophylaxis, orthopaedic infections are still common. Infections caused by work-related or traffic injuries, as well as by blood-borne infections, are demanding, both diagnostically and in terms of treatment. The societal burden is also significant. Data from the Swedish Social Insurance Agency during a 6-year period starting in 1975 reported 1900 orthopaedic infections in Sweden, a country of 8.5 million inhabitants. For more than 15 years, orthopaedic and infection clinics in Lund, Sweden, have collaborated. Since 1974, this collaboration has become more structured and systematic. A total of 132 patients with orthopaedic complications were treated in the infection clinic in 1980, which corresponds to 14.3% of the infection clinic's capacity, with an average occupation of nine ward beds. Half of the more difficult orthopaedic cases were admitted to one particular ward, where the staff received additional training on how to care for postoperative patients.