Diagnostic Fine-Needle Aspiration in Postoperative Wound Infections is More Accurate at Predicting Causative Organisms than Wound Swabs

Abstract

INTRODUCTION Postoperative wound infections are common. Antibiotics are often prescribed empirically, usually in the absence of any microbiological sensitivity data. This study demonstrates the role of fine-needle aspiration microbiology (FNAM) in determining the causative organisms in these wounds compared to wound swabs taken from the same patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS A total of 20 patients with clinical signs of soft tissue infection were tested using wound swabs and fine-needle aspiration. RESULTS Six of the wound swabs yielded a single organism but 16 out 20 of the FNAM group yielded a single organism (P = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS The FNAM approach allows antibiotic sensitivities to be obtained enabling specific antimicrobial therapy to be implemented early. FNAM also has a higher yield of cultures than wound swabs. Cellulitic areas can be sampled even when use of wound swabs is not possible.