Prevalence of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus in spinal surgery patients

Abstract

Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of patients with colonization of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in the nasal mucosa, who underwent elective spinal procedures. Methods: Retrospective study of the medical records of all patients submitted to elective procedures, totaling 125 individuals in the period of 2015 and 2017, performed by two spinal surgeons of the Orthopedics and Traumatology Service of Hospital Mater Dei, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais. The pre-operative investigation of MRSA consisted of the collection of a nasal swab for microbiological culture. Results: Of the 125 patients evaluated, three (2.4%) showed positive results for MRSA nasal colonization. This prevalence is consistent with the international literature, that ranges from 1.5 to 5.9%. Of these patients none had infection of the surgical wound, probably due to the preoperative prophylactic measures. Conclusions: Despite the limitations of the study, we found that the prevalence of carriers of this nasal MRSA population is similar to that of populations worldwide. Level of evidence III; Retrospective Study.