Current Guidelines and Practice Recommendations to Prevent Hospital-Acquired Conditions After Major Orthopaedic Surgeries

Abstract

»: In 2016, a total of 48,771 hospital-acquired conditions (HACs) were reported in U.S. hospitals. These incidents resulted in an excess cost of >$2 billion, which translates to roughly $40,000 per patient with an HAC.

»: Current guidelines for the prevention of venous thromboembolism and surgical site infection consist primarily of antithrombotic prophylaxis and antiseptic technique, respectively.

»: The prevention of catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CA-UTI) and in-hospital falls and trauma is done best via education. In the case of CA-UTI, this consists of training staff about the indications for catheters and their timely removal when they are no longer necessary, and in the case of in-hospital falls and trauma, advising the patient and family about the patient's fall risk and communicating the fall risk to the health-care team.

»: Blood incompatibility is best prevented by implementation of a pretransfusion testing protocol. Pressure ulcers can be prevented via patient positioning, especially during surgery, and via postoperative skin checks.