by Per Kjaersgaard-Andersen, MD,
Antibiotics are amazing medications that can effectively attack and kill microorganisms, but unfortunately, the very microorganisms they were developed to target are also highly capable of adapting to the actions of antibiotics. It is well documented that infection-causing bacteria have the ability to develop or acquire mechanisms that provide them with increased resistance to antibiotics. Such resistance to the powerful antibiotics widely used in orthopaedic surgery is of increased concern to orthopaedists today.
Orthopaedic surgeons are worried about this situation because several of the key antibiotics we use regularly are losing their effectiveness against both the most commonly seen simple infections and the multiresistant strains. This has led to an alarming increase in bacterial resistance in orthopaedic surgery at a time when there are practically no new antibiotics in the developmental pipeline. This scenario presents a real threat to our ability to effectively manage infection cases. Without question, this widespread problem will be among the most important public health issues in the future. (…)
