Hospitals are increasingly incorporating nasal screening and decolonization programs into their routine pre-surgical testing protocol for patients at high risk of developing surgical site infections (SSI’s). Mupirocin ointment or povidone-iodine applied to the nares prior to surgery may be equally effective in short term Staphylococcus aureus decolonization. Evidence shows that nasal colonization is a risk factor for SSI’s and there is mounting evidence that decolonization is a potential strategy for decreasing infection rates in the orthopaedic population. Screening and decolonization of S. aureus infections may reduce the need for revision surgeries, additional hospitalizations, use of intravenous antibiotics and decrease the incidence of recurrent infections. Studies have demonstrated high potential cost savings associated with screening and decolonizing patients prior to high risk orthopaedic procedures (1, 2). However, due to the large number of patients needed to achieve statistical significance, further studies are necessary to determine the precise role and optimal protocol for screening and decolonization of S. aureus prior to high-risk orthopaedic procedures.
