Surgical site infections

Ensure administration of appropriate prophylactic antibiotic, generally begun within 1 hour before skin incision and discontinued within 24 hours. Avoid shaving of the operative site and use clippers or other methods for hair removal in the area of skin incision(s). Ensure maintenance of blood glucose less than 150 mg/dL during postoperative period. Use tighter controls when needed in specific patient populations. 

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O Surgical site infections (SSIs) are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality. 

TABLE 82-1. National Red Cross Wound Classification, Risk of Surgical Site Infection (SSI), and Antibiotic Indication6 24... 

Barie PS, Eachempati SR. Surgical site infections. Surg Clin North Am 2005 85 1115-1135. 

Mangram AJ, Horan TC, Pearson ML, et al. Guideline for prevention of surgical site infection, 1999. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 1999 20 247-266. 

Surgical site infection Refers to an infection resulting from a surgical procedure. May involve the incision or associated tissue and organs. 

Bade PS Surgical site infections Epidemiology and prevention. Surg Infect (Larchmt) 2002 3(suppl 1) S9-S21. 

Nichols RL Preventing surgical site infections A surgeon s perspective. Emerg Infect Dis 2001 7 220-224. 

Antibiotics administered before contamination of previously sterile tissues or fluids are considered prophylactic. The goal for prophylactic antibiotics is to prevent a surgical-site infection (SSI) from developing. 

High-risk procedures include implantation of prosthetic materials and other procedures in which surgical-site infection is associated with high morbidity. 

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