How Does the Time from Intraoperative Culture Harvest to Incubation Impact Culture Positivity in Orthopaedic Surgeries? A Case-Control Study.

Amir Human Hoveidaei, James K Conway, Kyree Day, Elizabeth K Tissingh, Janet D Conway

Abstract read

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Article in Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland), 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Amir Human HoveidaeiInternational Center for Limb Lengthening, Rubin Institute for Advanced Orthopedics, Sinai Hospital of Baltimore, Schoeneman Building, 2nd Floor, 2401 West Belvedere Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21215, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-4607-354X

James K ConwayInternational Center for Limb Lengthening, Rubin Institute for Advanced Orthopedics, Sinai Hospital of Baltimore, Schoeneman Building, 2nd Floor, 2401 West Belvedere Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21215, USA.

Kyree DayInternational Center for Limb Lengthening, Rubin Institute for Advanced Orthopedics, Sinai Hospital of Baltimore, Schoeneman Building, 2nd Floor, 2401 West Belvedere Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21215, USA.ORCID 0009-0002-3665-9328

Elizabeth K TissinghLimb Reconstruction and Bone Infection Service, The Royal Ntaional Orthopaedic Hospital, Brockley Hill, London HA7 4LP, UK.ORCID 0000-0003-3554-6209

Janet D ConwayInternational Center for Limb Lengthening, Rubin Institute for Advanced Orthopedics, Sinai Hospital of Baltimore, Schoeneman Building, 2nd Floor, 2401 West Belvedere Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21215, USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundOrthopaedic infections require accurate microbiological diagnosis for effective treatment. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of an accelerated protocol for culture harvesting and incubation on culture positivity rates in orthopaedic surgeries, comparing it to the traditional protocol.

methodsA single-center, 1:1 matched case-control study was conducted at the Rubin Institute for Advanced Orthopaedics. Patients undergoing orthopaedic surgery with suspected infections were divided into two groups (108 patients): accelerated protocol (June-November 2024) and traditional protocol (January-June 2024). The time from operating room (OR) to incubation was significantly shorter in the accelerated group (89 min vs. 245 min,

resultsThe accelerated protocol group had significantly higher culture positivity rates (70.4%) compared to the traditional group (48.1%) (

conclusionsThe accelerated protocol significantly improved culture positivity rates without compromising diagnostic performance. Reducing the time from sample collection to incubation enhances pathogen detection across all pathogen types, potentially improving outcomes in orthopaedic infection management.

Indexed as

bone infectionculturefracture related infectionjoint infectionprosthetic joint infection

Identifiers

PMID42792063

DOI10.3390/antibiotics15090913

PMCPMC13603817

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.