Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Editor biographies
- List of contributors
- Preface
- Introduction
- Part I Medical management
- 1 Anesthesia management of the surgical patient
- 2 Nutrition
- 3 Preoperative testing
- 4 Chronic medications around the time of surgery
- 5 Ethical considerations in the surgical patient
- 6 Cardiovascular disease
- 7 Postoperative chest pain and shortness of breath
- 8 Perioperative management of hypertension
- 9 Perioperative pulmonary risk evaluation and management for non-cardiothoracic surgery
- 10 Acute lung injury (ALI) and the acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS)
- 11 Postoperative pulmonary complications
- 12 Peptic ulcer disease
- 13 Liver disease
- 14 Inflammatory bowel disease
- 15 Postoperative gastrointestinal complications
- 16 Disorders of red cells
- 17 Assessment of bleeding risk in the patient with no history of hemostatic problems
- 18 Surgical issues affecting patients with hemotologic malignancies
- 19 Prophylaxis for deep venous thrombosis and pulmonary embolism in surgery
- 20 Blood transfusion/preoperative considerations and complications
- 21 Prevention of surgical site infections
- 22 Medical care of the HIV-infected surgical patient
- 23 Fever and infection in the postoperative setting
- 24 Surgery in the patient with renal disease
- 25 Postoperative electrolyte disorders
- 26 Diabetes mellitus
- 27 Disorders of the thyroid
- 28 Disorders of the adrenal cortex
- 29 Disorders of calcium metabolism
- 30 Pheochromocytoma
- 31 Rheumatologic diseases
- 32 Cerebrovascular disease
- 33 Management of the surgical patient with dementia
- 34 Neuromuscular disorders
- 35 Perioperative management of patients with Parkinson's disease
- 36 Delirium in the surgical patient
- 37 Surgery in the elderly
- 38 Obesity
- 39 Depression
- 40 Substance abuse
- 41 Care of the peripartum patient
- Part II Surgical procedures and their complications
- Index
- References
21 - Prevention of surgical site infections
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 12 January 2010
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Editor biographies
- List of contributors
- Preface
- Introduction
- Part I Medical management
- 1 Anesthesia management of the surgical patient
- 2 Nutrition
- 3 Preoperative testing
- 4 Chronic medications around the time of surgery
- 5 Ethical considerations in the surgical patient
- 6 Cardiovascular disease
- 7 Postoperative chest pain and shortness of breath
- 8 Perioperative management of hypertension
- 9 Perioperative pulmonary risk evaluation and management for non-cardiothoracic surgery
- 10 Acute lung injury (ALI) and the acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS)
- 11 Postoperative pulmonary complications
- 12 Peptic ulcer disease
- 13 Liver disease
- 14 Inflammatory bowel disease
- 15 Postoperative gastrointestinal complications
- 16 Disorders of red cells
- 17 Assessment of bleeding risk in the patient with no history of hemostatic problems
- 18 Surgical issues affecting patients with hemotologic malignancies
- 19 Prophylaxis for deep venous thrombosis and pulmonary embolism in surgery
- 20 Blood transfusion/preoperative considerations and complications
- 21 Prevention of surgical site infections
- 22 Medical care of the HIV-infected surgical patient
- 23 Fever and infection in the postoperative setting
- 24 Surgery in the patient with renal disease
- 25 Postoperative electrolyte disorders
- 26 Diabetes mellitus
- 27 Disorders of the thyroid
- 28 Disorders of the adrenal cortex
- 29 Disorders of calcium metabolism
- 30 Pheochromocytoma
- 31 Rheumatologic diseases
- 32 Cerebrovascular disease
- 33 Management of the surgical patient with dementia
- 34 Neuromuscular disorders
- 35 Perioperative management of patients with Parkinson's disease
- 36 Delirium in the surgical patient
- 37 Surgery in the elderly
- 38 Obesity
- 39 Depression
- 40 Substance abuse
- 41 Care of the peripartum patient
- Part II Surgical procedures and their complications
- Index
- References
Summary
Introduction
Prevention of surgical infections has helped to revolutionize surgery from a practice that had been plagued by frequent infection and death into the discipline it is today. As the development of antimicrobial prophylaxis and the prevention of postoperative infection have progressed, the development of more invasive, technical procedures has also evolved.
However, infections related to surgery continue to remain a problem. Over 27 million surgeries are performed in US hospitals each year with average infection rates over the past decade ranging from 0.14% for clean uncomplicated eye surgery to well over 17% for high-risk cardiothoracic surgeries, with an overall infection rate of approximately 2.6% from 1986–1996. Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), through the National Nosocomial Infections Surveillance (NNIS) System, indicate surgical site infections (SSIs) are the third most common infection reported, accounting for 14%–16% of all nosocomial infections. SSIs are the most common nosocomial infection in surgical patients. In turn, these complications result in longer and costlier hospital stays. In 1995, it was estimated that nosocomial infections accounted for approximately $4.5 billion of the healthcare budget, with surgical wound infections the most costly. In fact, when readmissions are accounted, Kirkland and colleagues estimated in 1999 that the total excess hospitalization and direct costs attributable to one surgical site infection were 12 additional hospital days and $5038, respectively.
For some procedures, SSIs not only impact cost but also quality of life.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Medical Management of the Surgical PatientA Textbook of Perioperative Medicine, pp. 285 - 306Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2006