Epidemiologia delle fratture esposte presso AOU Careggi, Firenze; criticità nel percorso diagnostico

Abstract

To assess whether our epidemiological data on infections in exposed fractures were in line with the literature, we evaluated the wound swabs and osteosynthesis material that reached the Laboratory of Microbiology and Virology of AOU-Careggi Hospital during the period September 2017-September 2018. We observed a different trend between wound samples from all departments and samples sent only from the orthopaedic department, which showed a higher Gram-negative isolates level in the orthopaedics population (Pseudomonas aeruginosa) compared to Gram-positive levels (Staphylococcus aureus) in other departments. If we consider wound swabs as the first analysis for early infection and the material sample as post-surgical analysis and, therefore, an index of delayed or late infection, then we can confirm that our epidemiological data are consistent with the aetiological models described in the literature, where a shift of Gram-negative to Gram-positive bacterial flora is observed. However, our data cannot represent the epidemiology of infections on exposed fractures because sample information is scarce.