An Observational Study of Incidence and Pattern of Surgical Site Infections in Emergency Surgeries

Abstract

Background- Surgical Site Infections (SSIs) result from bacterial contamination during or after a surgical procedure. The risk of infection is greater in all categories if surgery is performed as an emergency. SSI causes considerable morbidity, mortality and high cost to the health care system and is becoming increasingly important in medicolegal aspects. Material & Methods- An observational study was conducted over a period from Jan 2013 to Jun 2014 at Command Hospital (EC), Kolkata (India). Patients requiring emergency surgery and fulfilling the inclusion criteria were offered to participate in the study. Total 108 cases undergoing emergency operations in all disciplines were included. Various parameters studied were as follows - Incidence of surgical site infection, correlation with age, sex, comorbidity status, malnutrition, delay to initiate operation, operative time, degree of contamination. Results- A statistically significant association was found between SSI and comorbidity, malnutrition, delay in operation, operative time and degree of contamination. Conclusion- Proper care of the patients as a whole throughout perioperative period is very vital to reduce the rate of SSI. Identification of factors that increase the risk for SSIs following surgery is a key step in the reduction of morbidity and mortality.