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Postoperative Wound Infections Following Cardiac Surgery: Significance of Contaminated Cases Performed in the Preceding 48 Hours

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2015

Malkanthie I. deSilva  and
J. Peter Rissing
Malkanthie I. deSilva*
Affiliation:
Veterans Administration Medical Center and theMedical College of Georgia, Augusta, Georgia
J. Peter Rissing
Affiliation:
Veterans Administration Medical Center and theMedical College of Georgia, Augusta, Georgia
*
Medical Center Epidemiologist, VA Medical Center (111G), Augusta, GA 30910
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Abstract

Postoperative wound infections following open heart cardiac surgery increased markedly after hospital relocation (7 of 77 v; 4 of 320; p = .0007). Of the multiple identified risk factors, significant patient and procedural association included prolonged operative time of infected patients (384 minutes ± 115 SD v 318 ± 67, p = .025) and operation in a room used within the previous 48 hours for a contaminated case (4/7 infected v 10/67 not infected; p = .023). Several defects were discovered in the air handling system. After appropriate changes, the infection rate decreased in the next 12 months (1 of 109; p < .02). Other concurrent surgical wound infection rates remained unchanged suggesting that defective air handling may have impacted only on the open heart cardiac surgery patients. Preceding contaminated surgery and prolonged operative time were associated with postoperative wound infections in cardiac surgery.

Type
Original Articles
Information
Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology , Volume 5 , Issue 8 , August 1984 , pp. 371 - 377
Copyright
Copyright © The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America 1984

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