Results of a National Survey on the Definition of Surgical Site Infections After Mohs Micrographic Surgery

Abstract

BACKGROUND There is no standardized definition of surgical site infections (SSI) after Mohs micrographic surgery (MMS) used in the clinical or research settings, which may contribute to heterogeneity in the differences in infection rates reported. OBJECTIVE To use an electronic survey of Mohs surgeons across the country to better understand how Mohs surgeons define SSI after MMS. METHODS A web-based survey was developed and distributed to Mohs surgeons. Respondents were asked to respond to several different scenarios that could represent SSI after MMS. RESULTS Of potential 1,500 respondents, 79 (5.3%) responded to the survey. Presentation of a surgical site with warmth, swelling, erythema, and pain at 7 days postoperatively resulted in 79.7% consensus of SSI. Surgical sites that were cultured and found to be Staphylococcus aureus-positive resulted in 100% agreement of SSI. There was no consensus regarding timing after MMS. CONCLUSION There is consensus on numerous aspects of SSI after MMS among Mohs surgeons, which may allow for development of standardized definition in the future.