Background: To study the risk factors among women who develop postoperative wound infection following caesarean section, and to analyze the microbiological pattern and antibiotic sensitivity. Method: This prospective hospital-based cross-sectional study conducted in government Lady Goschen Hospital, Mangalore, between October 2016 to March 2018, enrolled women who developed surgical site infections (SSI) within 30 days of caesarean delivery performed in the hospital. Descriptive statistics were used for socio-demographic variables and appropriate univariate and multivariate analysis used to find the association between continuous and categorical variables with a p-value of <0.05 taken as statistically significant.Results: Out of 4540 cesarean deliveries, 52 (1.1%) cases developed SSI. Surgical site infections were found significantly associated with maternal age above 25years, BMI>27Kg/m2 (p<0.001), hypertension, diabetes (p<0.001), the urgency of caesarean delivery, prolonged operative duration, technique and suture material (p<0.001) used. Poliglecaprone (monofilament) was found suitable for subcutaneous tissue and skin closure. Out of 38 cases with microbial growth, 52% cultured Staphylococcus aureus with 60% displaying methicillin resistance, followed by Diphtherioids (22%) and Pseudomonas (10.5%). Majority isolates showed higher sensitivity to Linezolid, Clindamycin and Vancomycin.Conclusion: Apart from maternal factors, the surgeon’s operative skill & technique, and suture material also contribute significantly to the development of SSI. A developing trend towards resistance to higher antibiotics was noted among Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Gentamicin and Linezolid were found as effective as second-line agents. Hence maintenance of quality asepsis and a hospital-based antibiotic policy is vital.

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