Surgical site infections: classification and prevention methods

A review of surgical site infections in surgery

Definition of surgical site infections and methods of diagnosis, treatment and prevention

A literature review using various publications related to surgical site infections

Surgical site infections are defined as infections that occur at the surgical incision or deeper tissues of the surgical site in a certain period of time following surgery. These infections lead to increased morbidity, mortality, hospitalization, re-admission rates, post-discharge care and costs of surgery. Bacterial contamination of the incision site is the most important cause of these infections. Surgical site infections are divided into three categories based on the depth and type of infected tissue: superficial incisional infections, deep incisional infections, and infections related to organs or internal spaces of the body. Various patient-related and procedure-related factors are involved as risk factors of these infections. Diagnosis of surgical site infections is based on patient history and results of clinical examination, surgical wound evaluation, and laboratory tests. Wound management and judicious use of antibiotics according to the type of bacteria involved in the infection are considered as the two most important aspects of treatment plan. Prevention is the best strategy to deal with surgical site infections. Prevention strategies are divided into preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative methods. The purpose of these measures is to prevent surgical wound contamination and increase patient resistance against infection. Accurate patient selection, adherence to aseptic principles, use of appropriate surgical technique, and complete aftercare of the patient and surgical wound, along with prophylactic use of antibiotic drugs, are the most important preventive measures against surgical site infections. Classification of surgical site infections, their etiology, risk factors, diagnosis and treatment methods and preventive measures are discussed in this review article.

After defining various types of surgical site infections, different methods of diagnosis, treatment and prevention are discussed and it is concluded that preventive strategies are the ideal method to control surgical site infections.