A multicenter study led by infection control experts with University of Iowa Health Care finds that implementing a series of simple interventions before surgery can reduce the rate of surgical-site infections by up to 40 percent. The study, published in the June 2 issue of Journal of the American Medical Association, tested the effectiveness of a “bundle” of evidence-based interventions for lowering infections caused by Staphylococcus aureus (staph) bacteria in patients undergoing heart surgery or hip or knee replacement procedures. The interventions included screening patients for the presence of staph bacteria in their noses; having patients who tested positive apply an antibiotic ointment in their noses and bathe with an antimicrobial wash for up to five days before the surgery; and giving all patients appropriately targeted antibiotics just before surgery. Loreen Herwaldt, a UI professor of internal medicine and director of hospital epidemiology at UI Hospitals and Clinics, was senior author on the study.