Clinical Experience in the Treatment of Staphylococcal Septicemias in Orpthopedic Patients

Abstract

The treatment of staphylococcal septicemias has been a therapeutic challenge, ever since Barber described in 1947 the increase in resistance of staphylococcal strains isolated from patients in British Hospitals. Presently, the number of staphylococcal infections within and out of Hospitals increases year by year, and the strains resistant to Penicillin — G vary between 50% and 80% in cases cultured from Hospitals. Finland and Jones stated in 1956 that since the advent of antibiotic therapy the frequency of septicemias from staphylococci had quadrupled, that from Gram-negative bacteria had increased six- fold, and mortality had also somewhat increased. The use of chemoprophylaxis, according to Barnes et al. (1959), while not affecting the frequency of post — surgical infections, has been one of the main factors involved in the emergence of resistant microbial strains.