Cyanoacrylate microbial sealant may reduce the prevalence of positive cultures in revision shoulder arthroplasty.

Background: Cyanoacrylate-based, microbial sealant is an adhesive skin barrier designed to prevent bacterial contamination in surgical wounds. This type of adhesive barrier could have use in decreasing the incidence of positive cultures and subsequent infection in shoulder arthroplasty.

Questions/purposes: We therefore evaluated whether cyanoacrylate microbial sealant reduced the positive intraoperative culture rates in revision shoulder arthroplasty.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 55 patients who underwent revision shoulder arthroplasties. Intraoperative aerobic and anaerobic deep tissue culture results taken during the revisions were compared. Cultures were taken of the deep synovial tissue lining the prosthesis. Patients were divided into two groups: those who underwent standard preparations with adhesive, iodine-barrier drapes (Group SP) and those who had placement of cyanoacrylate microbial sealant in addition to the standard prep (Group MS).

Results: The prevalence of cases with positive cultures was 18% (seven of 40) in Group SP compared with 7% (one of 15) in Group MS. The prevalence of positive, anaerobic Propionibacterium acnes cultures was 13% in Group SP compared with 7% in Group MS. The prevalence of infections confirmed at revision surgery was 8% in Group SP versus 0% in Group MS.

Conclusions: Our observations suggest application of a cyanoacrylate microbial sealant may reduce the prevalence of positive cultures and thereby subsequent infections in revision shoulder arthroplasties.

Level Of Evidence: Level III, retrospective cohort study. See Guidelines for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.