Use of regional administration of prophylactic antibiotics in total knee arthroplasty

Prosthetic joint infection after total knee arthroplasty is an infrequent, yet serious complication. Antimicrobial prophylaxis plays an important role in reducing the rate of surgical site infections. To be effective as an antimicrobial prophylaxis, the serum, tissue and bone concentrations of the antibiotic must be greater than the target organism's minimum inhibitory concentration. As antibiotic resistance increases current intravenous prophylactic dosing has been shown to be subtherapeutic for some patients. Intravenous regional administration and intraosseous regional administration of prophylactic antibiotics are novel methods used to increase the antibiotic tissue concentrations, which may enhance the efficacy of prophylactic antibiotics in total knee arthroplasty. Currently, literature has shown both intravenous regional administration and intraosseous regional administration to be safe and effective techniques. However, there is no clinical evidence to show that it results in a reduction of prosthetic joint infection rates. This study summarizes the current knowledge base on the use of regional administration of prophylactic antibiotics in total knee arthroplasty.