Do Antibiotic Beads Need to be Removed

Background: Polymethylmethacrylate antibiotic impregnated beads can be an effective treatment for chronicosteomyelitis or an adjuvant in the treatment of open fractures. It remains unclear however whether the beads causelong-term adverse events if not removed. The purpose of this study was to determine if removal of antibiotic beads wasrequired in order to avoid long term complications.Methods: A retrospective chart review was conducted on patients with an extremity or pelvis fracture that hadimplantation of polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) antibiotic beads over a five-year period.Results: Fifty-one patients met inclusion criteria for this study; thirty-seven patients (73%) did not have complicationsafter surgical debridement and placement of PMMA antibiotic beads necessitating removal.Conclusion: Our findings suggest that polymethylmethacrylate antibiotic beads can be utilized as a means of deliveringhigh-dose concentrations of local antibiotics and do not have to be removed in all patients.Level of evidence: III

کلیدواژه ها:

Antibiotics ، antibiotic beads ، Antibiotic resistance ، Fracture ، Infection