Administration of olanzapine to prevent postoperative delirium in elderly joint-replacement patients: a randomized, controlled trial.

Background: Delirium is a serious postoperative condition for which few pharmacologic prevention trials have been conducted.

Objective: The authors tested the efficacy of perioperative olanzapine administration to prevent postoperative delirium in elderly patients after joint-replacement surgery.

Method: The authors conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, prophylaxis trial at an orthopedic teaching hospital, enrolling 495 elderly patients age ≥65 years, who were undergoing elective knee- or hip-replacement surgery; 400 patients received either 5 mg of orally-disintegrating olanzapine or placebo just before and after surgery.

Institutional prescreening for detection and eradication of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in patients undergoing elective orthopaedic surgery.

Background: Surgical site infection has been identified as one of the most important preventable sources of morbidity and mortality associated with medical treatment. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of an institutional prescreening program for the preoperative detection and eradication of both methicillin-resistant and methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus in patients undergoing elective orthopaedic surgery.

Methods: Data were collected prospectively during a single-center study.