Does Hydrogen Peroxide Application to the Dermis Following Surgical Incision Affect Cutibacterium acnes cultures in Total Shoulder Arthroplasty in Male Patients? A Randomized Controlled Trial

Periprosthetic joint infections occur in 1-4% of primary total shoulder arthroplasties (TSAs). Cutibacterium acnes (C. acnes) is the most commonly-implicated organism and has been shown to persist in the dermis despite use of preoperative antibiotics and standard skin preparations. Studies have shown decreased rates of positive C. acnes cultures with use of preoperative benzoyl peroxide (BPO) or hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), but positive deep cultures remain common. We sought to determine if an additional application of H2O2 directly to the dermis following skin incision would further decrease deep culture positivity rates.

Source: Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery - December 8, 2023 Category: Orthopaedics Authors: Jonathan O. Wright, Kevin A. Hao, Joseph J. King, Kevin W. Farmer, Christopher D. Sutton, Bradley S. Schoch, Terrie Vasilopoulos, Aimee M. Struk, Thomas W. Wright, Alaina S. Ritter Tags: Original Article Source Type: research