Evaluation of a cesarean section postoperative wound infection surveillance program at Kenézy Hospital, Debrecen, Hungary

Wound infection is a typical, partly preventable complication of cesarean sections. We started extended recording of cesarean section data in October, 2008 as part of our general wound infection surveillance program. Aim: To describe the circumstances and outcomes of the sections and analyze associations between them. Methods: We analyzed 523 cases over the period October 1, 2008 to September 30, 2009. Variables were assessed using descriptive statistics. Associations between explanatory factors and wound infection were evaluated using logistic regression. Results: Infections (overall rate: 3.6%) were more frequent in younger subjects, those with anemia, subcutaneous hematoma, in pregnancies with meconium stained or purulent amniotic fluid, and decreased to about a third after infection control was tightened. Conclusions: by being a proxy variable of factors with which wound infection is associated, age is a clinically valuable predictive variable. Good infection control practice is effective in preventing wound infections. The results are consistent with appropriate prescription practices of prophylactic antibiotic use, and with prophylactic measures being effective. Orv. Hetil., 2011, 152, 14–22.