Management of contaminated bone grafts An experimental in vitro study

Objectives. This study tested various protocols for bone decontamination after bacterial contact to determine if these treatments altered bone structure. Study design. Femurs from five Sprague-Dawley rats were sectioned and separated into eight groups. These were contaminated in a broth containing Pseudomonas aeroginosa and Staphylococcus aureus. Subsequently, the groups were treated with eight different decontamination regimens. A Scheffe's Grouping test was used to statistically compare the bacterial counts after each treatment protocol. Results. Treatment with 4% chlorhexidine gluconate and 4% alcohol, Neosporin, cefazolin, and saline solution had little effect on bacterial growth. However, povidone-iodine, autoclaving, and ethyl alcohol with ethanol did significantly decrease the bacterial colony counts from the bone specimens. The autoclave and ethyl alcohol/ethanol induced changes in bony histologic examination. Conclusions. Results suggested that povidone-iodine decontaminates bone specimens without altering histologic conditions. Determination of successful grafting of bone treated with this protocol is required before its recommendation for clinical use.