#92 – How to Prevent Periprosthetic Joint Infections with Brian McGrory, MD

If you get this post by email: THANK YOU! You’re in a select group of supporters of the show who have followed the posts on the website and I can’t thank you enough. Your interest, feedback and willingness to share these episodes with your friends & colleagues is much appreciated. Shoot me a reply, social media message or email any time… I’d love to hear from you and again, thank you for your support! – Jon My guest today is Dr Brian McGrory, MD.  His is an orthopedic joint replacement surgeon at Maine Medical Center in Portland, Maine.    This is the second time Dr McGrory has joined me on the podcast, the first being way back in episode 25 when we discussed how to prevent hypothermia during joint replacement surgeries.  That episode included a special look at the controversy around various warming devices that are used in the OR and whether any of them are linked to surgical site infections. In this episode, Dr McGrory and I take a more detailed look at how to prevent surgical site infections in periprosthetic joint replacement surgery.  The significance of these infections for patients cannot be overstated.  We discuss the particulars around why a joint infection is often considered a devastating outcome for patients that, at best, results in months of continued, aggressive therapy and at worst, can lead to amputation of the limb or even death.  I’m incredibly grateful for Dr McGrory’s continued focus on improving the quality of care that surgical teams can provide and his willingness to come on this show to speak directly to anesthesia providers concerning our role in helping create great outcomes for surgical patients. Dr McGrory earned his bachelor’s degree in chemistry biology at Cornell, attended medical school at Columbia University, followed by residency in orthopedic surgery at the Mayo Clinic Graduate School where he also earned a Master’s degree in orthopedic research.  He then completed a fellowship through Harvard University at Massachusetts General Hospital in adult hip & knee reconstruction.  He has served as the research director for orthopedics at Maine Medical Center and the founding editor-in-chief of Arthroplasty Today, which is a publication of the American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons. References Chaudhry, S. B., Veve, M. P., & Wagner, J. L. (2019). Cephalosporins: a focus on side chains and β-lactam cross-reactivity. Pharmacy, 7(3), 103. Retrieved from https://www.mdpi.com/505180 Hamilton, W. G., Balkam, C. B., Purcell, R. L., Parks, N. L., & Holdsworth, J. E. (2018). Operating room traffic in total joint arthroplasty: identifying patterns and training the team to keep the door shut. American Journal of Infection Control, 46(6), 633-636. Retrieved from https://www.ajicjournal.org/article/S0196-6553(18)30007-5/fulltext McGrory, B. J. (2018). Letter to the Editor on “Hypothermia in Total Joint Arthroplasty: A Wake-Up Call”. The Journal of arthroplasty, 33(9), 3056-3057. Retrieved from https://www.arthroplastyjournal.org/article/S0883-5403(18)30506-0/fulltext Wyles, C. C., Hevesi, M., Osmon, D. R., Park, M. A., Habermann, E. B., Lewallen, D. G., … & Sierra, R. J. (2019). 2019 John Charnley Award: increased risk of prosthetic joint infection following primary total k...