Bone graft harvest from the proximal tibia in foot and ankle arthrodesis surgery

Background:Fresh autogenous cancellous bone graft is the material of choice in reconstruction and fusion procedures in foot and ankle surgery. There are many potential donor sites for graft harvest, all with recognized minor and major complications. The proximal tibia is one such potential site and is particularly suited to foot and ankle surgery, because it is within the operative field and under tourniquet control.Methods:A retrospective review was performed of 148 procedures using bone graft from the proximal tibia performed over a period of 5 years. Minimum followup was 3 months. Data were obtained from operative notes and patient interviews to establish pain, morbidity, and overall satisfaction.Results:Most patients had no pain (78%) or very mild pain (20%) at the site of graft harvest immediately after surgery. At followup, 96% had no pain and 4% had very mild pain with certain activities such as kneeling. There were no major complications. Four patients (2.7%) had persisting areas of paresthesia at followup, but none were troubled by it. One patient had a superficial wound infection that resolved. The period of nonweightbearing, usually 2 to 3 weeks, was dictated by the primary procedure. There were no complications related to early weightbearingConclusions:The proximal tibia is a suitable and safe site for bone graft harvest for foot and ankle surgery. There is no need for additional restrictions in weightbearing after this procedure.</jats:sec

Reducing the Risk of Surgical Site Infection: A Case Controlled Study of Contamination of Theatre Clothing

Surgical site infections are one of the most important causes of healthcare associated infections (HCAI), accounting for 20% of all HCAIs. Surgical site infections affect 1% of joint replacement operations. This study was designed to assess whether theatre clothing is contaminated more inside or outside the theatre suite. Petri dishes filled with horse blood agar were pressed on theatre clothes at 0, 2, 4, 6 and 8 hours to sample bacterial contamination in 20 doctors whilst working in and outside the theatre suite. The results showed that there was greater bacterial contamination when outside the theatre suite at 2 hours. There were no differences in the amount of contamination at 4, 6 and 8 hours. This study suggests that the level of contamination of theatre clothes is similar both inside and outside the theatre setting.</p