Vol. 4, Issue 3, Part F (2020)

Background and Objectives: Patient morbidity, lengthened hospital stays, and increased healthcare expenditures are greatly impacted by surgical site infections (SSIs), which continue to rank among the most prevalent postoperative consequences in both general surgery and gynecological treatments. The purpose of this research was to examine surgical site infections (SSIs), their prevalence, causes, and microbiological composition, as well as their effect on the recovery of patients having general or gynecological operations.
Materials and Methods: A prospective observational study was performed over 12 months in the Departments of General Surgery at a tertiary care hospital. A total of 50 individuals who developed surgical site infections (SSIs) after undergoing surgical procedures were included. Information was gathered on the patients' demographics, the kind of surgery, the type of wound, the presence of comorbidities (such diabetes, obesity, or anemia), and intraoperative factors including the length of the surgery and the use of prophylactic antibiotics. We took wound samples for microbiological examination and used standard culture and sensitivity procedures to find isolates. Statistical research was conducted to ascertain major risk factors linked to SSIs.
Results: During the study period, SSIs occurred in 12% of surgical cases overall. There was a small female majority (56%), and the average age of the patients was 43.5 ± 10.2 years. A laparotomy (28%) or abdominal hysterectomy (22% of all SSIs) were the most prevalent surgical treatments. Surface infections accounted for 68% of all infections, with deep infections coming in at 24% and organ-space infections at 8%. Common risk factors included insufficient preoperative antibiotic prophylaxis, obesity, diabetes mellitus, and lengthy surgeries (>2 hours). Primarily, 38% were Staphylococcus aureus, 26% were Escherichia coli, and 18% were Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Although amikacin and meropenem were effective against most isolates, ampicillin and cephalosporins were not. The average length of hospital stay for patients with SSI was considerably greater (14.6 ± 4.3 days) than for patients without SSI (7.8 ± 2.1 days).
Conclusion: Particularly in patients with co-morbidities and extensive operating durations, SSIs continue to be a major postoperative problem in gynecological and general procedures. Reducing the occurrence of SSIs can be achieved through early risk factor identification, strict adherence to aseptic methods, and the use of adequate antibiotic prophylaxis. If we want better surgical results and fewer HAIs, we need to practice antimicrobial stewardship and continuous surveillance.