Patient comorbidities as risk factors for surgical site infection in gynecologic and obstetric surgery

Abstract

Surgical site infections (SSIs) are infections that develop from a wound created by an invasive surgical procedure. Hospital-acquired infections are an indicator of hospital quality and also evaluate the efficiency of nosocomial infection committees. Numerous risk factors contribute to their development. So, in order to prevent SSIs, they must be identified and controlled in a timely manner. Objective: determine the frequency of comorbidities in hospitalized patients with surgical site infection diagnosis at the Gyneco-Pediatrics Hospital No. 31 of IMSS in Mexicali, Baja California Material and methods: a retrospective, cross-sectional and descriptive study was carried out in hospitalized patients diagnosed with infected gynecological or obstetric wounds during a one year period. Descriptive statistical analysis was done using SPSS v21. Results: a total of 95 cases were recorded. The mean age was 36.12±13.29 years. We found that 43.2%) were smokers before their surgery. The abdomen was the surgical site that presented the highest frequency (81.1%) of infection. The most frequent comorbidities were obesity (69.5%) and hypertension (41.1%). The hospital stay averaged 4.5±2.1 days. Conclusion: Obesity and hypertension were the most frequent comorbidities associated with surgical wound infection, similar to that reported worldwide. Therefore, in primary care, it is very important to identify the patients with existing comorbidities who are going to be subjected to a surgical procedure in order to prevent SSIs.