Risk factors for surgical site infections after paediatric appendectomies in tertiary care hospitals: A case‐control study

Abstract

AbstractAimTo identify risk factors associated with surgical site infections in paediatric patients subjected to appendectomy.Methods and MaterialsWe carried out an age‐matched case‐control study (1:3) using data from 2014–2019. Subjects were aged 1–17 and had been subjected to appendectomy. Cases were defined as patients who presented signs of infection in the surgical site within 30 days after the procedure.ResultsWe obtained a sample of 352 subjects, 88 with surgical site infections. There were no significant differences between cases and controls in sociodemographic and clinical baseline variables. A conditional logistic regression model identified the following risk factors: use of iodopovidone (OR 77.08; 95%CI 4.21–1411.06), use of laparotomy (OR 3.04; 95%CI 1.29–7.19), and the number of days from initial consult to procedure (OR 2.18; 95%CI 1.21–3.92).ConclusionsRisk factors for surgical site infections in this sample were all variables associated with the procedure or the immediate postoperative period, all of which are modifiable. This finding can serve as the basis for clinical recommendations that aim to improve the quality of care in the paediatric population.