Clinico-Bacteriological Profile of Surgical Site Infections: Interim Results of a Prospective Study in Southwestern India

Background: Post-operative wound infection is one of the major causes for increased postoperative morbidity.1 Such infections represent delayed healing, cause discomfort and anxiety for patient, longer stay in the hospital and add to the cost of health care services significantly. Most of these are superficial and readily treated with a regimen of local care and antibiotics. Determination of etiologic agent is important in choosing the correct antibiotics. The treating surgeon must have knowledge about the causative organisms and their antibiotic susceptibility. This observational study was undertaken to estimate the proportion of post-operative wound infections, the factors associated with the occurrence of post-operative wound infections and their antibiotic sensitivities in general surgery units of a tertiary care teaching hospital. Methods: All patients undergoing elective surgery in general surgery units of a tertiary care teaching hospital. Patients undergoing emergency surgery or patients who had primarily infected cases like Necrotising soft tissue infections, abscess, etc were excluded. All patients included in the study were evaluated by clinical features suggestive of post-operative wound infections and culture and sensitivity testing of their discharge was done. Patients undergoing surgery were followed up on outpatient/ inpatient basis till 10 post-operative days and assessed for post-operative wound infections Results: We analysed 728 cases in elective setting out of which 66 got infected. The overall rate of surgical site infection was 9.06%. Escherichia coli was most frequently isolated organism (28%) followed by Pseudomonas aeruginosa (24%). The antibiotic sensitivity pattern of these organisms was also studied.