The incidence and risk factors for surgical site infection in older adults after gastric cancer surgery: A STROBE-compliant retrospective study

Abstract

Surgical site infection (SSI) is a well-known complication in older adults. However, there have been no studies on SSI after gastrectomy in older adults. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the incidence, risk factors, and outcomes of SSIs after gastrectomy in older adults.We performed a retrospective cohort study of older adults, aged 65 years or older, who underwent gastrectomy between January 2015 and December 2015 at the Severance Hospital in Seoul, Korea. The incidence and outcomes of SSIs after gastrectomy were evaluated, and the risk factors for SSI were identified using multivariate analyses.We identified 353 older adults who underwent gastrectomy. Of these, 25 patients (7.1%) developed an SSI. Multivariate analysis indicated that open surgery (odds ratio, 2.71; 95% confidence interval, 1.13-6.51; P=.03) and a longer operation time (odds ratio, 1.01; 95% confidence interval, 1.00-1.01; P=.04) were independent risk factors for SSI after gastrectomy. In the SSI group, the incidence of postoperative fever (84.0% vs 51.8%; P