Surgical Site Infections

Surgical site infections (SSI) are the second most common healthcare associated infection, around 290,000 per year. SSIs are associated with significant patient morbidity and mortality. Obesity and diabetes have significant impact on patient outcomes for surgery.

• In 2010, it was determined approximately 36% of U.S population had a BMI 30-40, obesity range.
• 8.3% of the U.S. population now has diabetes.
  • Estimated 7 million undiagnosed and 79 million with pre-diabetes.
• Blood sugar greater than 200mg/dl in the perioperative period, in patients with and without diabetes, is associated with poorer clinical outcomes and HAI.³

Evidenced based practices that include use of surgical checklists, antimicrobial prophylaxis, pre-operative skin cleaning, normothermia in the OR, and peri-operative glucose control can significantly improve surgical outcomes. Organizations should complete a gap analysis annually to ensure evidenced based processes are in place and being used consistently.

Strategies and Tools

• Surgical Site Infections Safety Action Bundle
  • SSI Safety Action Bundle–Colon Addendum
• Glycemic Control Tool Kit
• Best Practices for Glycemic Control in the Perioperative Period
• SSI Colon Prevention Toolkit