Risk factors of surgical site infections in the practice of orthopedic surgery

• Published in: Journal of Japan Society for Surgical Infection Vol. 16; no. 1; pp. 60 - 70
• Main Authors: Nagata, Kousei, Ono, Kumiko, Kohata, Kazuhiro, Yamada, Koji
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Japanese
• Published: Japan Society for Surgical Infection 30.03.2019
• ISSN: 1349-5755; 2434-0103
• DOI: 10.24679/gekakansen.16.1_60

To discuss the risk of surgical site infection (SSI) in the field of orthopedic surgery, it is necessary to consider the risk for each relevant operative procedure, since the field of orthopedics encompasses a wide variety of surgical pro-cedures, including arthroplasty, spine surgery, and fracture surgery. Unlike in other departments, it is not uncom-mon for implants to be used in the practice of orthopedic surgery, so that, once any infection has extended to in-volve the implant, removal of the implanted device becomes imperative in some cases. Such implant removal eventually results in loss of limb and trunk supporting mechanisms, leading to significant impairment of the patient’s quality of life. The present article deals with assessment of the risk of SSI in arthroplasty, spine surgery, and frac-ture surgery separately, based on the latest systematic reviews and other literature involving meta-analysis. The assessment revealed high evidence levels for diabetes mellitus, obesity, anemia, smoking, alcohol drinking, and mal-nutrition as risk factors. It is important to lessen the risk through screening as soon as possible wherever the risk seems to be responsive to intervention.