WHiTE 8 Copal

Hip fractures in older adults are a major global health problem, with up to 25% of patients dying within a year—often due to complications after surgery. 

Infection in the surgical wound is one of the most serious complications that patients may suffer after hip fracture surgery. Patients with an infection in the hip wound have to stay in hospital longer, have more surgery and have an increased risk of dying.

For patients having a partial hip replacement for their hip fracture, bone cement is usually used to fix the implant to the bone. Antibiotics are often added to the bone cement, to reduce the risk of infection around the implant. 

The WHiTE 8 Copal study was a randomised controlled trial comparing two types of antibiotic-loaded bone cement used during partial hip replacements: one with a low dose of a single antibiotic and another with a higher dose of two antibiotics. 

External Links

Here are relevant links to the study...

• [Main Study Result] 'High-dose dual-antibiotic loaded cement for hip hemiarthroplasty in the UK (WHiTE 8): a randomised controlled trial' published in The Lancet
• [Cost-Utility Analysis] 'Cost-utility analysis of dual-antibiotic cement versus single-antibiotic cement for the treatment of displaced intracapsular hip fractures in older adults: the WHiTE-8 trial' published in The Bone and Joint Journal