The Current State of Screening and Decolonization for the Prevention of Staphylococcus aureus Surgical Site Infection After Total Hip and Knee Arthroplasty

➤ The most common pathogens in surgical site infections after total hip and knee arthroplasty are methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA), methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA), and coagulase-negative staphylococci.

➤ Patients colonized with MSSA or MRSA have an increased risk for a staphylococcal infection at the site of a total hip or knee arthroplasty.

➤ Most colonized individuals who develop a staphylococcal infection at the site of a total hip or total knee arthroplasty have molecularly identical S. aureus isolates in their nares and wounds.

➤ Screening and nasal decolonization of S. aureus can potentially reduce the rates of staphylococcal surgical site infection after total hip and total knee arthroplasty.