The overarching objective of this proposal is to determine if NGS technology is capable of detecting bacterial DNA in patients who sustained an open fracture and are undergoing the initial debridement. The central hypothesis is that NGS sampling will be able to more accurately, and reliably identify potential sources of infection when compared to standard microbiological cultures. This hypothesis is based on prior work done demonstrating the utility of NGS to detect bacterial DNA in culture negative prosthetic joint infections (PJI), fastidious organisms, or poly-microbial contamination. Use NGS to detect the presence of bacterial DNA contaminant in open fractures. Determine if NGS can identify patients at risk for developing fracture site infection following initial irrigation and debridement..
