The Arthroplasty Surgical Antibiotic Prophylaxi (Asap) Study

Abstract

The demand for total joint replacement surgery will double over the next decade. Infection involving the surgical wound is a devastating complication of this surgery. Half of all infections are due to methicillin resistant Staphylococcus (such as MRSA) and Enterococcus. This multicentre randomised controlled trial aims to investigate whether the addition of vancomycin at the time of surgery reduces the incidence of surgical wound infections; is safe and is cost-effective.