A Comparative Study of the Incidence and Severity of Surgical Site Infection Following Emergency and Elective Abdominal Surgeries in a Tertiary Care Hospital

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Background: Surgical site infection is a medical condition that develops up to 30 days after the surgery if no implants have been placed, and as long as 12 months if the patient has an implant device. SSIs pose a substantial barrier to healing and resumption of normal activities. SSIs and its side-effects have been noted as one of their primary contributors to the morbidity following surgery. This study will look at the incidence and severity of infections at the surgical site after both emergency and elective abdominal surgery. Methods: This is prospective observational research in patients who underwent Surgeries in either elective or emergency settings. Southampton wound assessment scale and the ASEPSIS wound scoring system were used in grouping the patients with SSI followed by each patient's SSI type was further recorded. The study also documented other factors, such as hospital stay and interventions. Results: There were one fifty participants in this study. 23 patients experienced SSI (6 elective cases and 17 emergency cases), while 127 people did not. The pathogens most commonly cultured were coagulase negative staphylococcus (CoNS, 8 cases), after which came Escheria coli. (4 cases). Conclusion: A higher prevalence of SSI is linked to factors including the patient's advancing age, a dirty wound, prolonged surgery, usage of drains, nutritional deficiency, anemia, and diabetes. The hospital personnel need to be more careful about following aseptic procedures and have more awareness of infection management.