Hospital Acquired Infection in a General Surgery Ward

Hospital acquired infections are not only an important cause of morbidity and mortality but also increase economic burden. Risk of these infections is further increased when patients are exposed to invasive procedures. The aim of this study was to determine incidence rates of hospital acquired infections (HAI) in a general surgical ward and to develop preventive measures to reduce the risk of hospitalacquired infections. This is a prospective study conducted at III-rd Surgical Clinic of the University Hospital Centre Mother Theresa a tertiary care hospital in Tirana during the period 2010-2013. Data were collected on a questionnaire for all the patients who underwent surgery. Proctologic and laparoscopic interventions were excluded from the study. Patients were followed for up to 30 days for development of (HAI). In total, in the study participated 1211 patients with a mean age of 52.7 ( 14.5) years and range from 17 to 86 years.66 % of patients are males and 43.6 % females. In our study 122 (10.1 %) patients developed hospital infection. In total, 129 infections were observed in 122 patients during the hospital stay because in 7 (5.7 %) out of 122 patients, more than one type of hospital infection were observed. Surgical wound infection was observed in 73 patients, with an incidence of 6 %, Bronchopneumonia was observed in 21 (1.7 %), Urinary infection in 16 (1.3 %), Vascular access infection in 16 (1.0 %) patients (table 2). The overall incidence over the 5-year study period was 10.1 %. Surgical site infections remain common and are a major cause of postoperative morbidity. Careful preparation of the patient and care after surgery is especially important. Inconsistent application of infection control practices may contribute to high SSI rates. Implementation of surgical guidelines for perioperative care is essential for prevention of SSI.