The timing of surgical antimicrobial prophylaxis. Ann Surg. 2008;247:918-926. [PMID: 18520217 DOI: 10.1097/sla.0b013e31816c3fec]

Preventing infection in general surgery: improvements through education of surgeons by surgeons

Surgical patients are at particular risk of healthcare-associated infection (HCAI) due to the presence of a surgical site leading to surgical site infection (SSI), and because of the need for intravascular access resulting in catheter-related bloodstream infection (CRBSI). A two-year initiative commenced with an initial audit of surgical practice; this was used to inform the development of a targeted educational initiative by surgeons specifically for surgical trainees. Parameters assessed during the initial audit and a further audit after the educational initiative were related to intra- and postoperative aspects of the prevention of SSIs, as well as care of peripheral venous catheters (PVCs) in surgical patients. The proportion of prophylactic antibiotics administered prior to incision across 360 operations increased from 30.0% to 59.1% (P<0.001). Surgical site dressings were observed in 234 patients, and a significant decrease was found in the percentage of dressings that were tampered with during the initial 48h after surgery (16.5% vs 6.2%, P=0.030). In total, 574 PVCs were assessed over the two-year period. Improvements were found in the proportion of unnecessary PVCs in situ (37.9% vs 24.4%, P<0.001), PVCs in situ for >72h (10.6% vs 3.1%, P<0.001) and PVCs covered with clean and intact dressings (87.3% vs 97.6%, P<0.001). Significant improvements in surgical practice were established for the prevention of SSI and CRBSI through a focused educational programme developed by and for surgeons. Potentially, other specific measures may also be warranted to achieve further improvements in infection prevention in surgical practice.

[Evidence-based antibiotic prophylaxis in general and visceral surgery]

The use of prophylactic perioperative antibiotic therapy if indicated could successfully and safely prevent surgical wound infections. The current guidelines (S1) for prophylactic perioperative antibiotic therapy of the Study Group of the Scientific Medical Associations (AWMF) of 2004 was replaced by a recommendation of the study group of the Paul-Ehrlich-Gesellschaft for Chemotherapy (PEG) in 2010. This recommendation includes recent research data from 2000 to 2008. Indications and choice of antibiotic agent depend on specific risk factors of the patient and the operation performed. The aim of this article is to describe the current recommendations of the PEG for general and visceral surgery.

Measures to prevent surgical site infections: what surgeons (should) do

BACKGROUND

The present study was designed to evaluate surgeons' strategies and adherence to preventive measures against surgical site infections (SSIs).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

All surgeons participating in a prospective Swiss multicentric surveillance program for SSIs received a questionnaire developed from the 2008 National (United Kingdom) Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) clinical guidelines on prevention and treatment of SSIs. We focused on perioperative management and surgical technique in hernia surgery, cholecystectomy, appendectomy, and colon surgery (COL).

RESULTS

Forty-five of 50 surgeons contacted (90%) responded. Smoking cessation and nutritional screening are regularly propagated by 1/3 and 1/2 of surgeons, respectively. Thirty-eight percent practice bowel preparation before COL. Preoperative hair removal is routinely (90%) performed in the operating room with electric clippers. About 50% administer antibiotic prophylaxis within 30 min before incision. Intra-abdominal drains are common after COL (43%). Two thirds of respondents apply nonocclusive wound dressings that are manipulated after hand disinfection (87%). Dressings are usually changed on postoperative day (POD) 2 (75%), and wounds remain undressed on POD 2-3 or 4-5 (36% each).

CONCLUSIONS

Surgeons' strategies to prevent SSIs still differ widely. The adherence to the current NICE guidelines is low for many procedures regardless of the available level of evidence. Further research should provide convincing data in order to justify standardization of perioperative management.

Unexpectedly increased rate of surgical site infections following implant surgery for hip fractures: problem solution with the bundle approach

INTRODUCTION

Surgical site infections (SSIs) are the most common nosocomial infections after surgery.However, clinical guidance on how to handle any suspicious clusters of SSI in orthopaedic surgery is missing. We report on problem analysis and solution finding following the observation of an increased rate of SSI in trauma implant surgery.

SETTING

Trauma unit of a university hospital.

METHODS

Over a 2-year observation period, all patients (n = 370) following surgical stabilisation of proximal femur fractures in a trauma unit of a university hospital were consecutively followed using a standardised case report form. First, a retrospective cohort of 217 patients was collected for whom an increased SSI rate was detected. Based on risk analysis, new standard perioperative procedures were developed and implemented. The impact was evaluated in a prospective cohort of 153 comparable patients. Uni- and multivariable analysis of factors associated with the risk for SSI was undertaken.

RESULTS

The intervention bundle resulted in a significant reduction of an initially increased SSI incidence of 6.9 (down) to 2.0% (p = 0.029). Multivariable analysis revealed four risk factors significantly associated with a higher risk of SSI caused by different bacteria: duration of surgery (p = 0.002), hemiarthroplasty(p = 0.002), haematoma (p = 0.004) and the presence of two operating room staff members (p < 0.001 and 0.035).

CONCLUSIONS

A standardised prospective SSI protocol and detection system offering the simultaneous use of data should guarantee every institution immediate alarm registration to avoid comparable problem situations. Detailed interdisciplinary analysis followed by the implementation of coherent interventions, based on a best-evidence structured bundle approach, may adequately resolve similar critical incidence episodes.

Adherence to Surgical Care Improvement Project measures: the whole is greater than the parts

Evaluation of: Stulberg JJ, Delaney CP, Neuhauser DV, Aron DC, Pingfu F, Koroukian SN: Adherence to surgical care improvement project measures and the association with postoperative infections. JAMA 303, 2497–2485 (2010); and, Hawn T: Surgical care improvement – should performance measures have performance measures. JAMA 303, 2527–2528 (2010). Much effort has been put into the Surgical Care Improvement Project (SCIP) in an effort to reduce surgical complications with a significant emphasis on reducing the rate of surgical site infections. The causes and the prevention of surgical site infections are complex and multifactorial. By the nature of its size and scope, SCIP is naturally somewhat oversimplified and incomplete. Nevertheless, all the measures are supported by strong prospective evidence. Stulberg et al. examine the association between adherence to SCIP infection measures and the occurrence of surgical site infections in a large administrative database and conclude that while the individual measures for the most part do not appear to be associated with a lower surgical site infection risk, the performance of all relevant measures does.

Prophylactic antibiotics in aesthetic surgery

Improvements in infection prevention practices over the past several decades have enhanced outcomes following aesthetic surgery. However, surgical site infections (SSI) continue to result in increased morbidity, mortality, and cost of care. The true incidence rate of SSI in aesthetic surgery is unknown due to the lack of a national surveillance system, but studies of SSI across surgical specialties have suggested that many of these infections are preventable. Patient-related factors-including obesity, glycemic control, and tobacco use-may contribute to the development of SSI following aesthetic surgery. In terms of SSI prevention, proper handwashing and surgical skin preparation are integral. Furthermore, the administration of prophylactic antibiotics has been shown to reduce SSI following many types of surgical procedures. Unfortunately, there are few large, randomized studies examining the role of prophylactic antibiotics in aesthetic surgery. The authors review the medical literature, discuss the risks of antibiotic overutilization, and detail nonpharmacological methods for reducing the risk of SSI.

Preventing surgical site infections

The risk of surgical site infection (SSI) is approximately 1-3% for elective clean surgery. Apart from patient endogenous factors, the role of external risk factors in the pathogenesis of SSI is well recognized. However, among the many measures to prevent SSI, only some are based on strong evidence, for example, adequate perioperative administration of prophylactic antibiotics, and there is insufficient evidence to show whether one method is superior to any other. This highlights the need for a multimodal approach involving active post-discharge surveillance, as well as measures at every step of the care process, ranging from the operating theater to postoperative care. Multicenter or supranational intervention programs based on evidence-based guidelines, 'bundles' or safety checklists are likely to be beneficial on a global scale. Although theoretically reducible to zero, the maximal realistic extent by which SSI can be decreased remains unknown.

The SURgical PAtient Safety System (SURPASS) checklist optimizes timing of antibiotic prophylaxis

BACKGROUND

Surgical site infection (SSI) is an adverse event in which a close relation between process of care and outcome has been demonstrated: administration of antibiotic prophylaxis decreases the risk of SSI. In our tertiary referral centre, a SURgical PAtient Safety System (SURPASS) checklist was developed and implemented. This multidisciplinary checklist covers the entire surgical pathway and includes, among other items, administration of antibiotic prophylaxis before induction of anaesthesia. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of SURPASS implementation on timing of antibiotic prophylaxis.

METHODS

A retrospective analysis was performed on two cohorts of patients: one cohort of surgical patients that underwent surgery before implementation of the checklist and a comparable cohort after implementation. The interval between administration of antibiotic prophylaxis and incision was compared between the two cohorts.

RESULTS

A total of 772 surgical procedures were included. More than half of procedures were gastro-intestinal; others were vascular, trauma and hernia repair procedures. After implementation, the checklist was used in 81.4% of procedures. The interval between administration of antibiotic prophylaxis and incision increased from 23.9 minutes before implementation of SURPASS to 29.9 minutes after implementation (p = 0.047). In procedures where the checklist was used, the interval increased to 32.9 minutes (p = 0.004). The proportion of patients that did not receive antibiotics until after the incision decreased significantly.

CONCLUSION

The use of the SURPASS checklist leads to better compliance with regard to the timing of antibiotic prophylaxis administration.

Complications in colorectal surgery: risk factors and preventive strategies

BACKGROUND

Open or laparoscopic colorectal surgery comprises of many different types of procedures for various diseases. Depending upon the operation and modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors the intra- and postoperative morbidity and mortality rate vary. In general, surgical complications can be divided into intraoperative and postoperative complications and usually occur while the patient is still in the hospital.

METHODS

A literature search (1980-2009) was carried out, using MEDLINE, PubMed and the Cochrane library.

RESULTS

This review provides an overview how to identify and minimize intra- and postoperative complications. The improvement of different treatment strategies and technical inventions in the recent decade has been enormous. This is mainly attributable to the increase in the laparoscopic approach, which is now well accepted for many procedures. Training of the surgeon, hospital volume and learning curves are becoming increasingly more important to maximize patient safety, surgeon expertise and cost effectiveness. In addition, standardization of perioperative care is essential to minimize postoperative complications.

CONCLUSION

This review summarizes the main perioperative complications of colorectal surgery and influencable and non-influencable risk factors which are important to the general surgeon and the relevant specialist as well. In order to minimize or even avoid complications it is crucial to know these risk factors and strategies to prevent, treat or reduce intra- and postoperative complications.

Postoperative infection rates in foot and ankle surgery: a comparison of patients with and without diabetes mellitus

BACKGROUND

Patients with diabetes mellitus may be at increased risk for infection following foot and ankle surgery. This study aimed to determine whether patients with a diagnosis of diabetes mellitus have an increased rate of infection following foot and ankle surgery compared with a cohort of patients without diabetes. Furthermore, our study sought to demonstrate whether patients with complicated diabetes are at greater risk of postoperative wound infection than are patients with uncomplicated diabetes or patients without diabetes.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective review of the charts of 1000 patients who had orthopaedic foot and ankle surgery. The following data were extracted: patient age, sex, history of diabetes mellitus, development of postoperative infection, severity of infection, inpatient or outpatient surgery, use of internal or external fixation, tobacco use, history of organ transplantation, history of rheumatoid arthritis, length of surgery, follow-up time in weeks, and comorbid conditions.

RESULTS

The overall infection rate in this study was 4.8%. Fifty-two percent of all infections occurred in our diabetic study group, which represented only 19% of the patient population. Postoperative infections occurred in significantly more persons with diabetes (13.2%) than in those without diabetes (2.8%). Diabetic patients were five times more likely to experience a severe infection requiring hospitalization compared with patients without diabetes. After removing the patients with neuropathy from the analysis, there was no longer a significant association between diabetes and infection. The presence of complicated diabetes increased the risk of postoperative infection by a factor of ten compared with the risk for patients without diabetes and by a factor of six compared with the risk for patients with uncomplicated diabetes. We did not identify a significantly increased risk of infection in patients with uncomplicated diabetes compared with that in patients without diabetes.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with diabetes mellitus are at increased risk of severe infection compared with those without diabetes. Patients with uncomplicated diabetes did not have an increased risk of postoperative infection compared with patients without diabetes, whereas patients with complicated diabetes had a significantly higher rate of postoperative infection.

[Postoperative wound infections: essentials for the internal medicine]

Surgical site infections are the most common nosocomial infections in surgical wards. The main risk factor is the comorbidity of patients. In addition, there are many preoperative and intraoperative factors that increase the risk of surgical site infections. Appropriate antimicrobial prophylaxis, adequate preparation of the patients by cessation of smoking and reducing weight are likely to prevent postoperative infections outside the operating theatre. The WHO has issued guidelines to prevent not only infectious, but also non-infectious complications after surgery. Surveillance of surgical site infections itself with adequate feedback to the surgeons decreases the rate by approximately 30%.

The Need for Specialized Preanesthesia Clinics for Day Admission Cardiac and Major Vascular Surgery Patients

The majority of patients undergoing surgical procedures today are not admitted to the hospital prior to the morning of surgery. In a medical world that strives not only for patient safety, but also for cost containment, Day Admission Surgery (DAS) plays an important role in our healthcare systems. This is true even for patients undergoing cardiac and major vascular (CMV) procedures. However, CMV patients often present with more complicated pre-, intra- and post-operative issues than other surgical patients.

In order to optimize the preoperative evaluation and care of CMV patients, we developed a specialized Pre-Anesthesia Clinic (PAC). We believed that patients, surgeons, anesthesiologists, and intensive care unit (ICU) teams would all benefit when appropriate preoperative evaluations are thoughtfully performed by those specializing in the care of these complicated patients. Planning for this specialized clinic included a survey of other institutions’ practices. Following initiation of our clinic, we performed a patient satisfaction survey. We report these findings along with the demographic data concerning the patients and types of surgeries evaluated in our initial experience. Finally, we discuss the preoperative evaluation including various areas of assessment provided by our PAC.

Non-compliance with recommendations for the practice of antibiotic prophylaxis and risk of surgical site infection: results of a multilevel analysis from the INCISO Surveillance Network

OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study was to determine which surgical antibiotic prophylaxis (SAP) practices alter surgical site infection (SSI) risk.

METHODS

Data were collected during a 7 year surveillance period (2001-07) from volunteer surgery wards participating in the INCISO Surveillance Network in Northern France. Main SAP practices, i.e. antibiotic choice, timing of first dose and total SAP duration, were evaluated and compliance checked based on French recommendations. The study focused on selected procedures in digestive, orthopaedic, gynaecological and cardiovascular surgery, for which standard SAP is recommended. Multilevel logistic regression analysis (a two-level random effect model) was carried out to identify SAP-, patient- and procedure-specific factors associated with SSI.

RESULTS

Of 8029 patients who underwent the selected surgeries, 91.3% received SAP and 2.5% developed SSI. Among those receiving SAP, 83.3% received appropriate antibiotic agents and 76.6% had an optimal timing of administration. SAP duration was considered to be appropriate in 35.0%, too long (SAP unnecessarily prolonged) in 45.2% and too short (lack of intra-operative redosing when recommended) in 19.8%. In the multivariate analysis, a too-short SAP duration remained the only inappropriate practice associated with higher SSI risk (odds ratio = 1.8, 95% confidence interval: 1.14-2.81), after adjustment for surgery procedure group, the National Nosocomial Infections Surveillance System risk index, age and infection risk variability among hospitals. No significant relationships were observed between SSI and the other SAP parameters.

CONCLUSIONS

A too-short SAP duration was the most important SAP malpractice associated with an increased risk of SSI. Information directed at practitioners should be reinforced based on standard recommendations.

Quality improvements of antimicrobial prophylaxis in coronary artery bypass grafting

BACKGROUND

Although the principles of antibiotics prophylaxis are well established, more than 60% of hospitals that joined the international quality indicator project failed to discontinue the use of prophylactic antibiotics within 24h after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Our specific aims are to disseminate the gain obtained from breakthrough series model in knee arthroplasty and abdominal hysterectomy to increase the rate of prophylactic duration not longer than 24h in patients with CABG.

METHODS

The control and intervention groups enrolled 55 and 78 patients with CABG before and after the project. Measurements were prophylactic interval and duration, surgical site infection, hospital and antibiotics costs. Two strategies were developed. The key cardiac surgeon was invited to attend quality improvement activities. Knowledge and rationale of medical quality indicators would thus be communicated. Secondly, we proposed a regional symposium in which a level of competition was subconsciously established, and practitioners would present their level of compliance.

RESULTS

Instances of prophylactic interval within 1h prior to incision were significantly increased from 66.7% to 97.4%. Rates of prophylactic duration less than 24h were significantly increased from 2.8% to 66.1%. The average hospital cost was reduced by 16.4%, and antibiotics cost was reduced by 91.8%. No significant changes in surgical site infection within 30 d of CABG were observed.

CONCLUSIONS

We successfully disseminated the gain of breakthrough project in improving antimicrobial prophylaxis to CABG. By implementing this model, we are able to optimize the timing and duration of antimicrobial prophylaxis in patients with CABG to a level above worldwide average.

The association of preoperative anemia and perioperative allogeneic blood transfusion with the risk of surgical site infection

BACKGROUND

The purpose of the study was to investigate allogeneic blood transfusion (ABT) and preoperative anemia as risk factors for surgical site infection (SSI).

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS

A prospective, observational cohort of 5873 consecutive general surgical procedures at Basel University Hospital was analyzed to determine the relationship between perioperative ABT and preoperative anemia and the incidence of SSI. ABT was defined as transfusion of leukoreduced red blood cells during surgery and anemia as hemoglobin concentration of less than 120 g/L before surgery. Surgical wounds and resulting infections were assessed to Centers for Disease Control standards.

RESULTS

The overall SSI rate was 4.8% (284 of 5873). In univariable logistic regression analyses, perioperative ABT (crude odds ratio [OR], 2.93; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.1 to 4.0; p < 0.001) and preoperative anemia (crude OR, 1.32; 95% CI, 1.0 to 1.7; p = 0.037) were significantly associated with an increased odds of SSI. After adjusting for 13 characteristics of the patient and the procedure in multivariable analyses, associations were substantially reduced for ABT (OR, 1.25; 95% CI, 0.8 to 1.9; p = 0.310; OR, 1.07; 95% CI, 0.6 to 2.0; p = 0.817 for 1-2 blood units and >or=3 blood units, respectively) and anemia (OR, 0.91; 95% CI, 0.7 to 1.2; p = 0.530). Duration of surgery was the main confounding variable.

CONCLUSION

Our findings point to important confounding factors and strengthen existing doubts on leukoreduced ABT during general surgery and preoperative anemia as risk factors for SSIs.

Trends in surgical wound healing

The understanding of acute and chronic wound pathophysiology has progressed considerably over the past decades. Unfortunately, improvement in clinical practice has not followed suit, although new trends and developments have improved the outcome of wound treatment in many ways. This review focuses on promising clinical development in major wound problems in general and on postoperative infections in particular.