A review of all patients who had a knee or hip replacement at Conquest Hospital or Eastbourne DGH over a 12 month period has shown that the rates of infection following surgery are below the national average.
The analysis of infections that occur after surgery in the part of the body where the surgery took place show that between April 2015 and March 2016, no patient having a knee replacement suffered from a surgical site infection, compared to a national average of 0.6%. The ESHT figure for hip replacements was 0.3%, against a national average of 0.7%.
Every NHS Trust undertaking orthopaedic surgery is required to carry out an annual review of surgical site infections by the Public Health England Surgical Site Infection Surveillance Service.
Mr Guy Selmon, Orthopaedic Consultant, said: “Minimising infection in joint replacement surgery is hugely important. These figures demonstrate the high quality service that we provide in our Trust. It is a reflection of the professionalism and hard work of all of those involved in the provision of this service for our patients.”