ISSN: 2155-9570
John A. Musser, Ryan T. Wallace, Loren S. Seery, Tara E. Hahn, Craig J. Chaya
Objective: Analyze 145,088 patients who received superior Mini Scleral Tunnel Incision (MSTI) phacoemulsification cataract surgery and their associated endophthalmitis incidence via a chart query methodology.
Methods: The electronic medical record of a single private practice with 6 surgical center locations was queried from 2013-2018 for all patients who received superior MSTI cataract phacoemulsification. Pre and post-surgery protocols were standardized across the six care delivery sites. Infection prevention included pre-operative 5% betadine application and post-operative topical antibiotics. The number of patients that developed cataract surgery-associated endophthalmitis, anterior/posterior capsular rupture, need for clear corneal/pars plana anterior vitrectomy, capsular stain usage and zonular pathology findings were evaluated via both International Classification of Diseases (ICD) code logs and follow-up note documentation.
Results: Three cases out of 145,088 (0.002%) patients who underwent phacoemulsification with a superior MSTI technique developed post-operative infectious endophthalmitis.
Conclusion: This multi-site private practice retrospective review represents the largest described group of patients undergoing phacoemulsification with a superior MSTI showcasing one of the lowest reported rates of cataract surgery-associated endophthalmitis known.