JAMA - 2026-05-12 - Clinical Trial, Phase III; Comparative Study; Equivalence Trial; Journal Article; Multicenter Study; Randomized Controlled Trial
Intrawound Tobramycin Plus Vancomycin to Prevent Surgical Site Infection in Tibial Fractures: The TOBRA Randomized Clinical Trial.
Major Extremity Trauma Research Consortium (METRC), O'Toole RV, O'Hara NN, Carlini AR, Schrank GM, Chung S, Gary JL, Obremskey W, Matuszewski PE, Teague D, Natoli RM, Gitajn IL, Weaver MJ, Renninger CH, Levack AE, Degani Y, Collins SC, Weston-Farber E, Howe AL, Thompson RE, Castillo RC, Karunakar MA, Blum L, Harmer L, Hsu JR, Kempton LB, Phelps KD, Seymour RB, Sims SH, Acharya MS, Callahan H, Chavez-Araujo LM, Churchill C, Gambuzza MP, Haim KR, Ishman E, Kendall JS, Mullis ND, Young C, Pilson HT, Carroll EA, Goodman JB, Holden MB, Jones AL, Moon C, Lin CA, Marecek GS, Moffitt GB, Conlan T, George AV, Fisher LA, Mullin DS, Recendez CL, Aneja A, Brameier DT, Heng M, Ly TV, Stenquist DS, Suneja N, Wignakumar T, Borgida JS, Policicchio TJ, Hanson GR, Alese OM, Ricci WM, Behrens SB, Dvorzhinskiy A, Bilodeau RE, Klinger CE, Mullis BH, Jang Y, Lopas LA, McKinley TO, O'Neill DC, Szatkowski JP, Virkus WW, Hill LC, Gaski G, Hymes RA, Ahn J, Goch AM, Holzman M, Malekzadeh AS, Schulman JE, Rivera JC, Krause PC, Bridgman C, Cohen J, Eikani C, Chavez M, Kudulis M, Warner SJ, Achor TS, Choo A, Eastman JG, Kellam PJ, Boutte SJ, Guevara KD, Reid KR, Vallier HA, Tucci AV, Davis JM, Bell AC, Bonyun ME, Healey K, Li V, McKibben NS, Nascone J, Okhuereigbe D, Sciadini MF, Slobogean G, Zingas N, Kovvur M, Lawrence JE, Phipps H, Rudnicki J, Turner KE, Hayda R, Evans AR, Quinnan S, Benitez A, Rehman S, Soderquist MC, Townsend CB, Caroom C, Collins AC, Okwumabua E, Shaikh HS, Spitler CA, Agarwal A, Johnson MD, Haller JM, Marchand LS, Alfonso NA, Gorman MA, Charlton WM, Scott BR, Kraus KM, Meredith SJ, Talwar S, Bergin PF, Jha AJ, McGee S, Nehete PV, Pryor TA, Spears I, Chen AT, Kelley B, Nez NR, Ertl WJ, Hull BR, Blumenthal S, Patterson JT, Flynn C, Ross RC, Agarwal A, Weiss DB, Hadeed MM, Yarboro SR, Daoud T, McVey ED, Whiting PS, Domes C, Goodspeed DC, Kuhn GR, Boyce R, Libos A, Mitchell PM, Moreno-Diaz AF, Ponce RB, Stinner DJ, Tatman LM, Velasco-Castro J, Trochez K, Satpathy J, Zuelzer DA, Potter BK
Topics
Key Takeaway
Adding intrawound tobramycin (1.2 g) to vancomycin (1.0 g) powder did not reduce deep SSI rates in high-risk periarticular tibial fractures (7.4% vs 6.6%; HR 1.11, 95% BCI 0.75–1.66).
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Summary
This multicenter Phase III equivalence RCT at 39 US trauma centers asked whether adding intrawound tobramycin powder to vancomycin powder reduces deep SSI requiring surgical management in high-risk operatively treated tibial plateau and pilon fractures. Deep SSI occurred in 7.4% of the combination group vs 6.6% of the vancomycin-alone group (HR 1.11, 95% BCI 0.75–1.66; posterior probability of superiority 29.7%). Superiority of the combination was not demonstrated for any primary or secondary outcome, including gram-negative, gram-positive, polymicrobial, or culture-negative infections.
Key Limitation
The open-label design and a baseline deep SSI rate of only ~7% may reflect center-level variability in wound management practices that could dilute a true treatment effect in the highest-risk subgroups (e.g., Gustilo IIIB open fractures or staged pilon fixations).
Original Abstract
IMPORTANCE
Previous research has suggested that intrawound vancomycin powder reduces deep surgical site infections among patients with periarticular tibial fractures at high risk of infection. It is unknown whether the addition of tobramycin powder further decreases infection rates.
OBJECTIVE
To compare whether the combination of tobramycin plus vancomycin vs vancomycin alone delivered as intrawound powder at the time of definitive fixation reduces deep surgical site infections. DESIGN, SETTING,
AND PARTICIPANTS
Open-label, assessor-masked, randomized clinical trial conducted at 39 US trauma centers. Eligible patients were adults with an operatively treated periarticular tibial fracture (either tibial plateau or pilon) who met 1 of 3 criteria for elevated infection risk. Enrollment occurred between June 18, 2021, and December 12, 2024 (final follow-up, July 15, 2025).
INTERVENTIONS
Intrawound tobramycin (1.2 g) plus vancomycin (1.0 g) powder vs intrawound vancomycin (1.0 g) powder delivered at the time of definitive fixation.
MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES
The primary outcome was a deep surgical site infection requiring surgical management within 182 days of definitive fracture fixation. Secondary outcomes included deep surgical site infections with pathogens that were gram-negative only, deep surgical site infections with at least 1 pathogen that was gram-positive, deep surgical site infections with polymicrobial cultures, deep surgical site infections with negative culture results, and cellulitis or skin infections treated only with antibiotics.
RESULTS
Among the 1660 participants randomized, 1528 (mean age, 47.0 [SD, 14.3] years; 603 female [39.5%]; 925 male [60.5%]) were included in the primary analysis. Deep surgical site infections occurred in 51 of 753 participants (182-day probability, 7.4%) in the tobramycin plus vancomycin group and 47 of 775 participants (182-day probability, 6.6%) in the vancomycin alone group (hazard ratio, 1.11; 95% bayesian credible interval, 0.75-1.66; posterior probability of superiority, 29.7%). The threshold required for superiority was not reached for any secondary outcome.
CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE
Among patients with operatively treated periarticular tibial fractures at high risk of infection, adding intrawound tobramycin powder to vancomycin powder at the time of definitive fixation did not reduce deep surgical site infections compared with vancomycin powder alone.
TRIAL REGISTRATION
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02227446.