Objective:The objective was to measure the incidence of surgical site infection (SSI) and identify risk factors, in patients undergoing elective surgery of the colon and rectum. Materials and methods: A prospective cohort study was performed from January 2017 to December 2018. Results: A total of 130 patients were studied. The cumulative incidence of SSI was 12.3%. The 56.25% were superficial wound infections and the 31.25%, organ-space infection. The risk factors significantly associated with SSI were the non-administration of pre-operative oral nutrition, diabetes mellitus, heart disease, symptomatic state at the diagnosis of colorectal cancer (CRC), and ≥ 2 altered nutritional biochemical parameters at diagnosis.