Current practices of infection prevention for primary shoulder arthroplasty: A survey of American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons Society members.

Abstract

Introduction: Prosthetic joint infection is a serious complication after primary shoulder arthroplasty, yet no standardized infection prevention protocol exists. This study evaluated current trends in infection prevention among members of the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons.

Methods: A 25-item cross-sectional survey was developed to capture commonly used preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative infection prevention strategies in primary shoulder arthroplasty. The finalized instrument was administered electronically through REDCap to all active American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons members in November 2024, with 1 reminder sent 2 weeks later. Anonymized responses were categorized by years in practice (<5, 5-10, 10-20, and >20 years). Statistical analyses assessed variability across experience groups.

Results: Of 229 responses, 224 were complete and included for analysis. Most surgeons reported using hemoglobin A1c cutoffs (77%), avoiding corticosteroid injections within 3 months of surgery (86%), performing preoperative skin cleansing (78%), using chlorhexidine for preparation (94%), switching scalpel blades (80%) or using electrocautery (79%) after skin incision, and administering perioperative IV antibiotics (76%). Surgeons with <5 years of experience were more likely to use hydrogen peroxide or alcohol-based skin preparation, vancomycin powder, topical skin glue, silver-impregnated dressings, and apply stricter hemoglobin A1c cutoffs, reaching statistical significance in all cases ( P < .05). A body mass index cutoff was used by 25% of respondents, with a mean threshold of 42 kg/m 2 .

Conclusion: Substantial variation exists in infection prevention strategies for primary shoulder arthroplasty (SA) across experience levels, highlighting the need for standardized protocols.

Level of evidence: IV, epidemiological study.