Surgical site infections prevalence and practice: A six-month prospective study in a rural tertiary care centre

Abstract

Background: Surgical Site Infections (SSI) are the most common dreaded reported hospital-acquired infection which has an adverse impact not only on the hospital but also on the patient. An effective, dynamic, result-oriented surveillance is necessary, to reduce the incidence of SSI. Objectives: The purpose of this study is to assess the risk factors for the incidence of SSI in our institute and find ways to reduce the incidence of SSI. Methodology: A prospective observational study was conducted for six months of SSI in our hospital. One hundred fifty surgical cases were included in the study. A few host factors, such as comorbid factors and surgery-related factors that cause SSI, were documented. Surgical site Swabs were collected from the site's surgical sites, and conventional microbiological tests identified causative organisms. Results: The duration of surgery significantly altered the outcome with 16 patients with more than 2 hrs duration affected more. Wound site drains were found to significantly impact the occurrence of SSI, and Emergency surgeries showed a higher chance of SSI than elective procedures. Escherichia coli (31.52%) was the most common pathogen, followed by Pseudomonas aeruginosa (26.5%) and Staphylococcus aureus (22.1%). The incidence of SSI in our set-up is 6.5%. Conclusions: The results of the SSI in our Institute revealed that to minimise the incidence of SSI, we have to consider the following factors 1. Duration of the surgeries performed, 2. intensive drain care, 3. High-risk patients must be identified, 4. Prophylactic antibiotic 5. Standard surveillance on SSI.