Basics of Surgical Site Infection Prevention

Surgical Site Infection (SSI) is one of the most common postoperative complications. Recent reports from the United States of America, France and the United Kingdom found that around 4% of the patients develop hospital-acquired infections, and around 20% of these develop an SSI. SSI represents a significant global health issue that can lead to significant morbidity, reintervention, and even death. The occurrence of SSI is associated with an increased hospital stay and, in a recent report from the UK, with an additional cost of GBP 5239. Dr. Xavier Guirao, Head of the Endocrine, Head and Neck Surgery Unit at Parc Tauli (Barcelona, Spain) reviews the basics of prevention of surgical site infection, remembering that the measures for SSI prevention are implemented in an extended period of time in different scenarios and they involve several actors. He reviews the current evidence on decreasing the patient’s skin flora, decreasing the patient’s enteric flora and decreasing surgical site contamination. Also, a thorough explanation on the necessity of antibiotic prophylaxis and its doses and timing is given. New topics such as Enhanced Recovery After Surgery protocols and Prehabilitation protocols and their influence on SSI are also reviewed.