Surgical Site Infections (SSIs) - Causes & Prevention | HAI Watch from Kimberly-Clark

Surgical site infections (SSIs) initiated during invasive procedures can require additional and/or extended treatment. Despite the best efforts of healthcare facilities to maintain safe surgical environments, surgical site infections result in up to $10 billion in treatment costs every year in the U.S. alone.

780,000 out of 30 million surgical procedures performed annually in the U.S. result in SSI.1
In the United Kingdom, the estimated direct costs for a patient who has developed a surgical site infection are between €2,265 and €2,518.2
According to a study in the Netherlands, SSIs result in 5.8 to 17 extra days of hospitalization.3

In France, approximately 11% of surgical patients acquire a surgical site infection.4

Some common causes of SSI are:

Complications from surgical hypothermia
Contamination of the incision area by skin flora
Bacterial cross–contamination
Surgical instrument contamination

1 Cook, R. “Hospitals learn simple, cheap steps can prevent infections,” San Francisco Chronicle, May 18, 2004; F1.
2 Coello R, Glenister H, Fereres J, Bartlett C, Leigh D, Sedgwick J, et al. The cost of infection in surgical patients: a case–control study. J Hosp Infect 1993; 24(4):239–50., and Plowman R, Graves N, Griffin MA, Roberts JA, Swan AV, Cookson, B, et al. The rate and cost of hospital–acquired infections occurring in patients admitted to selected specialties of a district general hospital in England and the national burden imposed. J Hosp Infect 2001; 47(3):198–209.
3 Geubbels EL, Mintjes–de Groot AJ, Van den Berg JM, de Boer AS. An operating surveillance system of surgical site infections in the Netherlands: results of the PREZIES national surveillance network. Preventie van Ziekenhuisinfecties door Surveillance. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2000; 21 (5): 107.
4 Source: Prevalence of nosocomial infections in France; results of the nationwide survey in 1996. Journal of Hospital Infection. 2000; 46:186–193

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Surgical Site Infections (SSIs) - Causes & Prevention | HAI Watch from Kimberly-Clark