Clinical Study of Causative Factors Precautionary Measures and Treatment of Surgical Site Infections

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Surgical site infections (SSIs) still remain a significant problem following an operation and third most frequentlyreported nosocomial infections. SSI contributes significantly to increase health-care costs in terms of prolonged hospital stayand lost working days.Aim: This study aims to study the prevalence, risk factors, prevention, and treatment of surgical site infection.Materials and Methods: In this study, 1570 elective and emergency general surgical cases involving clean and cleancontaminated surgeries were included in the study. An elaborate study of these cases with regard to the date of admission,history, clinical features date of surgery, type of surgery, emergency or elective, pre-operative preparation, and post-operativemanagement is done till the patient is discharged from the hospital and then followed up the patient on OPD basis for anysigns of wound infection.Results: In the present study, the overall post-operative SSI rate in elective clean and clean-contaminated cases is 5.11% andemergency cases is 12.41%. From the above observation, it shows that the superficial SSIs are the most common type andaccounted for about 72.09% in elective and 61.11% in an emergency of all the SSIs and deep surgical site infection accountedfor about 23% in elective and 30.55% in emergency cases. Escherichia coli and Proteus mirabilis were the most commonorganisms isolated in my study in elective and emergency cases, respectively.Conclusion: The study emphasizes the need for the evidence-based infection control and to identify the patients susceptibleto wound infection which helps in reducing the hospital stay and reduces hospital cost.