Background: Surgical site infections (SSI) are the second most common Nosocomial infections after urinary tract infections accounting to 20-25% of Nosocomial infections worldwide. Based on the depth of the infections, SSI is classified by CDC as superficial incisional, deep incisional and organ/space. The development of SSI is dependent upon multiple factors like class of wound, immune status, type of surgery, type of anesthesia; surgical techniques etc and are interplay of multiple factors. Objective of the present study was conducted in identifying the predictors, risk factors and incidence rates of SSI at a tertiary care hospital. The study also identifies the causative bacterial pathogens and their antibiotic susceptibility patternMethods: A prospective cross-sectional study was conducted for a period of two years by department of general surgery involving all patients who underwent surgery, and pre-operative, intra operative and risk factors of the cases were collected using standardized data collection form. Specimens from the infected wounds were collected and processed for isolation of pathogens. Antibiotic susceptibility of pathogens was done using standard guidelines.Results: The incidence of SSI in present study was 25.34% with 81.58% superficial SSI and 18.42% deep SSI. Laparotomy was the common procedure and 63.2% of cases were females and 41-60 years was the most common age group. Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Escherichia coli were the common pathogens and were sensitive to carbapenems, vancomycin and linezolid. Significant association was observed with presence of pre-morbid analysis, presence of drain, use of povidone iodine alone and development of SSI.Conclusions: In present study the incidence of SSI was significantly high in this hospital and associated with premorbid illness, duration of surgery, presence of drain and use of drain at site of surgery. Staphylococcus aureus was the common pathogen and incidence of MRSA is higher than many other reports. A continuous monitoring and surveillance of patients with a predefined protocol will help in early identification of cases with risk of development of SSI. A feedback of appropriate data to surgeons is highly recommended to reduce the SSI rate in developing countries.
Incidence, Risk Factors and Etiology of Surgical Site Infections in a Tertiary Care Hospital
