The use of bacitracin irrigation to prevent infection in postoperative skeletal wounds. An experimental study.

In dogs, irrigation of contaminated osseous wounds with bacitracin eliminated clinical evidence of infection and significantly reduced the number of positive cultures and pathological evidence of infection when compared with dogs that received no treatment or irrigation with normal saline solution. The inocula contained more organisms than are introduced into a wound during an elective orthopaedic operation. The use of bacitracin in the prevention of postoperative Staphylococcus aureus infection of bone in humans may be justified.