Incidence rate and clinical characteristics of acute endophthalmitis following 23- gauge pars plana vitrectomy using recycled single-use equipment

Purpose: In this study, we evaluated the incidence and clinical characteristics of post- vitrectomy acute endophthalmitis, while as a developing country for economic reasons we have to use recycled single-use vitrectomy tools. Methods: : Data were obtained by reviewing the patient’s medical records who underwent primary pars plana vitrectomy (PPvitx) from September 2011 to March 2017 retrospectively. We excluded patients who had any ocular surgery in the past 6 months, immunocompromised patients, and patients with a pre-operative diagnosis of endophthalmitis. The main outcome was defined as the incidence of acute post-pars plana vitrectomy endophthalmitis. Results: : Out of 6474 cases who underwent PPvitx, 12 cases of endophthalmitis (incidence rate of 0.18%) were identified. We found two positive cultures for staphylococcus epidermidis and one positive culture for staphylococcus aureus. Based on the medical records of the patients, nine patients (75%) had diabetes and 1 (8.3%) had hypertension. Conclusion: Reuse of surgical instruments (despite standard sterilization protocols) could be a risk factor for higher rates of endophthalmitis after PPvitx in this study.