Risk Factors for Surgical Site Infections in Patients Undergoing Emergency Surgery: A Single-centre Experience.

BACKGROUND/AIM: Surgical site infections (SSI) are associated with increased morbidity and mortality, and they occur more frequently during unplanned emergency surgical (ES) procedures rather than elective. Our aim was to determine the incidence of SSI within our ES cohort and to identify risk factors for SSI.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Data from consecutive patients undergoing ES in a single institution during a 5-year period were prospectively collected and analyzed.

RESULTS

A total of 838 consecutive patients were included. The median age was 52 (IQR=25-71) years and some 368 (44%) were female. 157 (18.7%) of those patients developed SSI. The most commonly isolated pathogen was E. Coli (55.4%) followed by Staphylococcus Aureus (40.1%). The 30-day mortality rate of patients who presented SSIs was 14.6% compared to 6.8% of patients without SSI (p=0.002). Multivariable analysis showed that the type of wound, American Society of Anesthesiology score, severity and duration of surgery >90 min were independent risk factors for the occurrence of SSI.

CONCLUSION

Identification of modifiable causative factors for SSI within an ES unit is paramount as they can critically impact postoperative outcomes.