ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Surgical site infections (SSIs) often manifest after patients are discharged and are missed by hospital-based surveillance. METHODS: We conducted a case-reference study nested in a prospective cohort of patients from six surgical specialties in a teaching hospital. The factors related to SSI were compared for cases identified during the hospital stay and after discharge. RESULTS: Among 3,427 patients, 222 (6.4%) acquired an SSI. In 138 of these patients, the onset of the SSI occurred after discharge. Neurological surgery and the use of steroids were independently associated with a greater likelihood of SSI diagnosis during the hospital stay. CONCLUSIONS: Our results support the idea of a specialty-based strategy for post-discharge SSI surveillance.
Subject(s)
Patient Discharge , Surgical Wound Infection/epidemiology , Adolescent , Adult , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Brazil/epidemiology , Child , Child, Preschool , Female , Hospitals, Teaching , Humans , Infant , Infant, Newborn , Male , Middle Aged , Prospective Studies , Risk Factors , Young AdultABSTRACT
Introduction Surgical site infections (SSIs) often manifest after patients are discharged and are missed by hospital-based surveillance. Methods We conducted a case-reference study nested in a prospective cohort of patients from six surgical specialties in a teaching hospital. The factors related to SSI were compared for cases identified during the hospital stay and after discharge. Results Among 3,427 patients, 222 (6.4%) acquired an SSI. In 138 of these patients, the onset of the SSI occurred after discharge. Neurological surgery and the use of steroids were independently associated with a greater likelihood of SSI diagnosis during the hospital stay. Conclusions Our results support the idea of a specialty-based strategy for post-discharge SSI surveillance. .