Closed suction drainage after hip arthroplasty. Prospective study of bacterial contamination in 81 cases.

In a prospective study we analyzed the volume of drainage, the contamination of the drain track, and drain tip in 81 primary total hip arthroplasties in 78 patients. The drain was removed when the drainage from midnight to the following morning was 20 mL or less. The drainage in the first 12 h and in total was reduced in cases with a drain period of 24 h, compared to cases with a drain period of 48 and 72 h. 4 cases had a positive culture from the wound before closure. 5 cases had a positive culture from the tip of the drain, and 6 from the drain track. The most frequently isolated microorganism was coagulase-negative Staphylococcus. The positive cultures from the drain track and tip were not correlated to the duration of drainage. 68 drains were removed within 48 h with no risk of developing wound complications.