Surgical site infections: epidemiology and microbiological aspects in trauma and orthopaedic surgery

• Published in: International wound journal Vol. 10; no. s1; pp. 3 - 8
• Main Author: Cooper, Rose A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.12.2013
• Subjects: Antibiotic Prophylaxis; Control of SSIs; Decontamination; Drug Resistance, Bacterial; Equipment and Supplies, Hospital; Equipment Contamination; Humans; Infection Control - methods; Orthopedic Procedures; Practice Guidelines as Topic; Prevention of SSIs; Review; Risk Factors; SSI; Surgical site infection; Surgical Wound Infection - diagnosis; Surgical Wound Infection - economics; Surgical Wound Infection - epidemiology; Surgical Wound Infection - microbiology; Surgical Wound Infection - prevention & control; Wound infection; Wounds and Injuries - complications; SSI; Surgical site infection; Wound infection; Control of SSIs; Prevention of SSIs
• ISSN: 1742-4801; 1742-481X
• DOI: 10.1111/iwj.12179

Causative agents of wound infections and the routes by which they access surgical incision sites have been recognised for more than a century. Despite knowledge of the factors that influence the risks of surgical site infections (SSIs) and the means to prevent and/or control them, surgical patients still get infections. Traditional systems of classifying and diagnosing SSIs and the diversity of microbial flora reported in contemporary SSIs will be described. Strategies available to prevent and control SSIs will be critically reviewed and the need to develop alternative approaches will be discussed.