Aim

The incidence of orthopaedic methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus infections is increasing. Vancomycin may therefore play an increasingly important role in orthopaedic perioperative antimicrobial prophylaxis. Adequate antimicrobial concentrations at target site is essential for prevention of orthopaedic infections. Current studies investigating perioperative bone and soft tissue concentrations of vancomycin are sparse and challenged by a lack of appropriate methods. The aim of this study was therefore to assess the concentration of vancomycin in plasma, subcutaneous tissue and bone after single dose administration using microdialysis (MD) in patients undergoing total knee replacement.