Risk Factors for Cesarean Section Surgical Site Infections: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Background: According to the CDC NHSN, surgical site infections (SSI) are wound infections that develop within 30 days postoperatively for nonimplanted surgeries such as cesarean sections. SSIs is shown to manifest in a continuum of a purulent discharge from surgical site to severe sepsis. It contributes to rising morbidity, mortality and prolonged length of stay. Objective: To describe risk factors to the development of SSI in cesarean section in descriptive studies. Methods: The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews (PRISMA) reporting guidelines is used as method for this systematic review. A PubMed literature search was conducted, limited to published articles in English from 1998 to 2016 using the broad key terms “cesarean section,” “surgical site infection,” and “risk factor.” The following inclusion criteria were applied to all reviews: (1) peer-reviewed journal, (2) computed risk factor for SSI development, and (3) calculated SSI rate. Reviews of references of the include studies were conducted, and 7 studies were appraised, with only 1 accepted. Results: After extracting data from 52 article reviews, 23 were finally accepted based on the inclusion criteria. Most studies were multivariate studies (n = 8) followed by cohort studies (n = 6). Unique numerators and denominators for SSI reviews were mentioned in all 23 studies, of which 22 studies followed the CDC NHSN definitions for SSI. Within the 23 studies, most studies showed that obesity (11.46%) is a common maternal risk factor for the development of postoperative cesarean section SSI. Conclusions: Identifying that obesity is a major contributor of surgical site infection in postoperative cesarean section women is a topic that warrants exploration. The relationship of cesarean section SSI to obesity should be investigated, specifically highlighting the level of obesity based on the WHO international body mass index (BMI) classification and the development of SSI. A correlation between increasing wound infection rates and increasing body mass index should be studied further. Published recommendations for preventing SSIs in this population should be reviewed.

Funding: None

Disclosures: None