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Benzoyl peroxide may reduce P. acnes infection following surgery
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Use of benzoyl peroxide on the skin prior to and following surgery effectively reduced Propionibacterium acnes infection, according to study results.
Forty-eight hours prior to surgery, 50 patients undergoing first-time arthroscopic shoulder surgery were treated with topical 5% benzoyl peroxide cream. Researchers obtained 13 samples per patient following skin preparation and held the cultures for 14 days.
Overall, the researchers obtained 650 culture specimens. Results showed 6% of cases were positive for Propionibacterium acnes at the initiation of surgery. The researchers also found 6% of tissue samples were positive for P. acnes.
Paul Sethi
At the end of surgery, 10% of skin samples were positive for P. acnes, according to study results. The researchers found no difference between the rates of positive culture vs. a 4% rate observed with a control swab. – by Casey Tingle
Disclosure: Sabetta reports no relevant financial disclosures. Please see the full study for a list of all other authors’ relevant financial disclosures.
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