A Prospective Study on Surgical Site infections and Bacteriological Isolation in a Tertiary Care Hospital in Rajsamand

Abstract

Background: Surgical site infections (SSI) has been seen as one of the most common cause of post-operative complications. Various other factors like patient and environment related factors play important role besides bacterial contamination of wound, various patient and environment play essential role in development and outcome of SSI. The present study is undertaken to study the frequency of SSI with reference to factors contributing to it and the antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of the causative organisms.

Methods: This prospective cross-sectional, study was carried out in the Department of Surgery of a tertiary care hospital in Rajsamand.

212 pus samples from cases of surgical site infections were processed for gram staining, culture, biochemical identification tests and antimicrobial susceptibility testing. Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) strains were detected by using oxacillin and cefoxitin disk diffusion and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of oxacillin was tested by broth dilution technique.

Results: The overall frequency of SSI was 5.45%. Most common isolates were Staphylococcus aureus, coagulase negative Staphylococci (CONS), E. coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The frequency of MRSA was 7.25%. The maximum frequency was among patients operated on emergency basis in surgical department.

Conclusions: The most important determinants for SSI were emergency surgery and presence of co-morbid conditions. The frequency of occurrence was age-dependent, with maximum rate of SSI in males and females in the third and sixth decades of life, respectively.