Position paper on prevention of surgical site infections in obstetric and gynecological surgery

Abstract

Surgical site infections represent about a quarter of all infections that develop in the hospital setting. Far from being solved, this problem is expected even increasing in the next years, mainly for the increase in prevalence of obesity and diabetes and the increasing spread of antibiotic resistance. Obstetrics and Gynecology represent, for frequency of interventions, incidence and impact, one of the major fields of interest. Caesarean section is one of the most frequent surgical procedures in women and is the one most likely to get complicate with surgical site infection. According to some estimates, up to 12% of cesarean sections will be complicated by surgical site infection with repercussions on women and newborn health, and high costs for the community.