clinical outcomes of surgical debridement and intravenous antibiotic therapy in patients with postoperative infection following open or arthroscopic rotator cuff repair

Background: the present study aimed to evaluate the outcomes of surgical debridement, irrigation, and placement of a drain for three weeks in combination with intravenous antibiotic therapy, in terms of the reduction of erythrocyte sedimentation rate (esr) and c-reactive protein (crp) levels. in addition, the type of microorganism responsible for infection was investigated.methods: this retrospective cross-sectional study included 14 patients identified from medical records at shafayahyaeian and iranmehr hospitals between 2017 and 2024. the effects of the surgical approach, as well as the type and duration of intravenous antibiotic therapy, on esr and crp levels were assessed. the causative microorganisms were identified through laboratory culture.results: esr significantly decreased one week after the initiation of antibiotic therapy and at discharge (reductions of 7.93 mm/h and 24.36 mm/h, respectively, compared with preoperative values). crp levels showed a significant reduction only at discharge (43.44 mg/l compared with preoperative levels), whereas the change observed one week after antibiotic initiation was not statistically significant. staphylococcus aureus was identified as the causative pathogen in 20% of cases. on average, a combination of imipenem and vancomycin was administered for approximately two weeks in more than 40% of patients.conclusion: the combined use of prolonged drainage and a two-week regimen of intravenous imipenem plus vancomycin appears to be effective in significantly reducing esr and crp levels in patients with postoperative infection following open rotator cuff repair (rcr).