Article
Surgical site infections in orthopaedic trauma
Search Medline for
Authors
Published: | October 21, 2010 |
---|
Outline
Text
Objective: Orthopaedic surgical-site infections (SSI) prolong hospital stays, double re-hospitalization rates, and increase healthcare costs. In addition, orthopaedic SSI’s are associated with greater physical limitations and reduced health-related quality of life. The purpose of this study is to determine the risk factors for surgical-site infection in patients treated for skeletal trauma.
Methods: A trauma database and billing record were used to identify 1783 patients that had operative treatment for skeletal trauma 2006 and 2008. The medical record was demographic, medical, injury and surgery specific data as well as SSI were recorded. Factors that were significant in bivariate analysis were included in a multiple logistic regression model.
Results and conclusions: Six independent predictors of surgical site infection were identified: 1) The use of a drain (odds ratio 2.2, p=0.003); 2) Number of operations (odds ratio 3.5, <0.001); 3) Diabetes (odds ratio 2.3, p=0.01); 4) Congestive Heart Failure (odds ratio 2.9, p=0.01); 5) Site of Injury Tibial Shaft/Plateau (odds ratio 2.4, p=0.005); and 6) Site of Injury Elbow (odds ratio 2.6, p=0.01).
The strongest risk factors for surgical site infection after skeletal trauma are related to patient infirmity, injury severity and injury location.