Is Subcutaneous Rifamycin Application Superior to Saline Application in Hip Hemiarthroplasty?

Objective: The effect of subcutaneous rifampicin administration on postoperative early wound discharge in patients undergoing hemiarthroplasty after femoral neck fracture was investigated.Methods: Between 2013 and 2015, 58 (36 female, 22 male) patients aged 65-94 (mean 79.29 & PLUSMN;7.99 years) who underwent hemiarthroplasty for hip fracture were included in the study. Two of the patients were Garden type 2, 21 were Garden type 3 and 35 were Garden type 4. The patients were followed from the postoperative period until discharge, and the length of stay was recorded. The subcutaneous rifamycin-administered group (group 1), saline irrigation-only group (group 2), and saline solution-added rifamycin group (group 3) were examined in 3 groups.Results: The duration of discharge was statistically significant according to age (p<0.05). The mean duration of wound discharge was significantly higher in patients older than 75 years (p=0.02). The operation duration of RIF + SF irrigation was significantly higher than that of SF irrigation (p=0.037). There was no statistically significant relationship between operation duration, incision length and additional diseases, and discharge time (p>0.05).Conclusion: There was no significant difference between the groups in terms of postoperative discharge times. The operative time was longer in patients who received subcutaneous rifamycin and were older than 75 years. Additional or isolated rifamycin application for hip hemiarthroplasty irrigation has no superiority over the saline solution.