Wound Infection After Elective Colorectal Resection

Abstract

The incidence of incisional SSI in patients undergoing elective colorectal resection in our cohort was substantially higher than generally reported in the literature, the NNIS or predicted by an institutional surgical infection complication registry. Although some of these differences may be attributable to patient population differences, we believe these discrepancies highlight the potential limitations of systematic outcomes measurement tools which are independent of the primary clinical care team. Accurate surgical complication documentation by the primary clinical team is critical to identify the true frequency and etiology of surgical complications such as incisional SSI, to rationally approach their reduction and decrease their associated costs to patients and the health care system.

Overweight is a risk factor for surgical site infection following distal gastrectomy for gastric cancer

“…SSI is the most common complication after colectomy, and obesity or overweight is thought to increase this risk by 2.5-to 5-fold as compared with patients of normal weight [13][14][15][16]. This risk may be related to the decreased oxygen tension in relatively avascular adipose tissue, differences in wound healing, greater wound size, or technical difficulties [13,17].…”

Diminishing Surgical Site Infections in Australia: Time Trends in Infection Rates, Pathogens and Antimicrobial Resistance Using a Comprehensive Victorian Surveillance Program, 2002–2013

“…1 Reported rates vary according to surgical procedure, spanning <1% for clean procedures 2 to 30% for some colorectal procedures. [3][4][5][6] Standardized surveillance has long been recognized as a minimum and necessary requirement for effectual prevention strategies, [7][8][9] and diminishing SSI rates have been noted following the implementation of surveillance programs. 10 Surveillance data have recently been used to evaluate appropriateness of surgical antimicrobial prophylaxis in the United States.…”

Minimizing Cost Flow for Colorectal Surgery in Michigan

“…One possibility for this cost difference may be SSI, as the 6 care measures have previously been shown to be associated with SSI, [6][7] and SSI increases costs following colectomy. [1][2][3] However, further work is necessary to investigate the pathway between these perioperative care elements and the ultimate cost per patient.…”

“…[1][2][3] Recent work has shown that 6 perioperative care measures are associated with SSI in colectomy patients:…”