Wound Infection Rates in Clean Surgery: A Potentially Misleading Risk Classification

Abstract

To evaluate the incidence of wound infection in inguinal hernioplasties, incisional hernioplasties, splenectomies, and splenectomies performed in patients with hepatosplenic schistosomiasis, and to examine the relationship of surgical wound infection to antibiotic use, patient age, length of stay in the hospital prior to surgery, and the duration of the operation. Retrospective surveillance study. One thousand five hundred forty-two clean operations were analyzed. Comparing response (wound infection) and explanatory variables (age, length of hospital stay, duration of surgery, antibiotics, and surgery type), we found that age, use of antibiotics, and type of surgery were statistically significant, while length of hospital stay and duration of surgery were not significant. From these results, we can predict that the probability of wound infection in surgical patients considering these significant variables is lower for patients ages 14 to 30 years and higher for patients ages 31 to 60 years and lower for patients with prophylactic antibiotic use (up to 72 hours of use) and higher for patients with prolonged use (more than 72 hours); and lower for patients undergoing inguinal heria, followed in ascending order by nonschistosomotic patients undergoing splenectomy in schistosomotic patients.