Antibiotic prophylaxis in Danish orthopedic alloplastic surgery

: In order to assess the routine use of prophylactic antibiotics (AB) in arthroplastic surgery in Denmark, questionnaires were sent to all Danish orthopaedic departments and all general surgical departments that perform orthopaedic surgery. Fifty-six departments (93%) returned the questionnaires. All departments use prophylactic AB in primary knee and hip arthroplasty and in revision arthroplasty. In addition, all departments but one use prophylactic AB in arthroplasty secondary to osteosynthesis. The largest group of departments uses penicillinase-resistant penicillin (PRP) in their standard prophylaxis regimens. The second largest group uses second generation cephalosporins. With one exception, all use cefuroxime. A small group uses other types of AB. Fifteen percent of the departments combine systemic AB with gentamicin bone cement (GC) in primary hip arthroplasty, whereas 22% use this combination in primary knee arthroplasty. Significantly more departments use GC in revision arthroplasty (89%) and in arthroplasty secondary to osteosynthesis (63%). Prolonged antibiotic prophylaxis (beyond 24 hours) is practised to a significantly higher degree in revision arthroplastic surgery than in the primary arthroplasties. In conclusion, one of two homogeneous groups of prophylactic AB is used in arthroplastic surgery in Denmark as prescribed in the literature.