Abstract

Surgical site infection (SSI), also known as surgical wound infection1, is the most common surgical complication and is associated with prolonged hospital stays, high costs, morbidity, and mortality2,3. At 3% in the US, SSI can range from 5% for clean surgeries to above 20% for emergency colon surgery in a dirty area. 11% of surgery patients in low- to middle-income nations are infected. SSI causes around 400000 extra hospital days in the US, costing 10 billion dollars annually. SSI patients have longer, more expensive hospital stays and a higher likelihood of ICU time. They also had 5 times the chance of readmission and 2 times the risk of mortality.

Description