Nosocomial infection, indices of intrinsic infection risk, and in-hospital mortality in general surgery

A new checklist surgical hand scrub to replace time-based methods - A pixel intensity analysis

BACKGROUND

Hand scrubbing is an absolute precaution to avoid surgical site infections. World Health Organization (WHO) recommends 4-min overall scrubbing (4MS) for surgical hand hygiene. However, we hypothesize that the more methodical 10-stroke counting technique (10SS) via locational partitioning of the arm is superior to WHO's superficial guideline dictating only the duration.

PURPOSE

The mechanical efficiency of 4MS and 10SS techniques are compared.

METHODS

24 healthcare professionals were recruited for the study. A novel methodology was devised to quantify the average brightness change of skin-applied UV ink before and after scrubbing via pixel intensity analysis. A black-box setup is constructed with an integrated high-resolution camera to photograph the UV-stained dorsal arm. Each stain was then digitally isolated for brightness comparison.

RESULTS

It was observed that the 10SS technique was overall more successful in removing the UV ink in comparison to the 4MS method (p = 0.014). In addition, a bias was observed in removing more percentage of the proximal stains when compared to middle and distal stains with the 4MS technique (p = 0.0027), while location-based brightness change averages were statistically equal with the 10SS technique (p = 0.423).

CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE

10SS provided not only a more mechanically efficient scrubbing but also a more homogenous cleaning than 4MS. We recommend the use of the 10SS technique to achieve more effective pre-surgical hand hygiene.

When to operate after SARS-CoV-2 infection? A review on the recent consensus recommendation of the DGC/BDC and the DGAI/BDA

Since the eruption of the worldwide SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in late 2019/early 2020, multiple elective surgical interventions were postponed. Through pandemic measures, elective operation capacities were reduced in favour of intensive care treatment for critically ill SARS-CoV-2 patients. Although intermittent low-incidence infection rates allowed an increase in elective surgery, surgeons have to include long-term pulmonary and extrapulmonary complications of SARS-CoV-2 infections (especially "Long Covid") in their perioperative management considerations and risk assessment procedures. This review summarizes recent consensus statements and recommendations regarding the timepoint for surgical intervention after SARS-CoV-2 infection released by respective German societies and professional representatives including DGC/BDC (Germany Society of Surgery/Professional Association of German Surgeons e.V.) and DGAI/BDA (Germany Society of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine/Professional Association of German Anesthesiologists e.V.) within the scope of the recent literature. The current literature reveals that patients with pre- and perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection have a dramatically deteriorated postoperative outcome. Thereby, perioperative mortality is mainly caused by pulmonary and thromboembolic complications. Notably, perioperative mortality decreases to normal values over time depending on the duration of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Effect of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Rates of Ninety-Day Peri-Prosthetic Joint and Surgical Site Infections after Primary Total Joint Arthroplasty: A Multicenter, Retrospective Study

Background: The impact of the coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on the rate of primary total joint arthroplasty (TJA) peri-prosthetic joint infection (PJI) and superficial surgical site infections (SSI) is currently unknown. The purpose of this multicenter study was to evaluate any changes in the rates of 90-day PJI or 30-day SSI, including trends in microbiology of the infections, during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to the three years prior. Patients and Methods: An Institutional Review Board-approved, multicenter, retrospective study was conducted with five participating academic institutions across two healthcare systems in the northeastern United States. Primary TJA patients from the years 2017-2019 were grouped as a pre-COVID-19 pandemic cohort and patients from the year 2020 were grouped as a COVID-19 pandemic cohort. Differences in patient demographics, PJI, SSI, and microbiology between the two cohorts were assessed. Results: A total of 14,844 TJAs in the pre-COVID-19 pandemic cohort and 5,453 TJAs in the COVID-19 pandemic cohort were evaluated. There were no substantial differences of the combined 90-day PJI and 30-day superficial SSI rates between the pre-COVID-19 pandemic cohort (0.35%) compared with the COVID-19 pandemic cohort (0.26%; p = 0.303). Conclusions: This study did not find any change in the rates of 90-day PJI or 30-day superficial SSI in patients undergoing primary TJA between a pre-COVID-19 pandemic and COVID-19 pandemic cohort. Larger national database studies may identify small but substantial differences in 90-day PJI and 30-day superficial SSI rates between these two time periods. Our data may support continued efforts to maintain high compliance with hand hygiene, use of personal protective equipment, and limited hospital visitation whenever possible.

Scrubbing technique and surgical site infections: an analysis of 14,200 neurosurgical cases

OBJECTIVE

The preoperative scrub has been shown to lower the incidence of surgical site infections (SSIs). Various scrubbing and gloving techniques exist; however, it is unknown how specific scrubbing technique influences SSI rates in neurosurgery. The authors aimed to assess whether the range of scrubbing practice in neurosurgery is associated with the incidence of SSIs.

METHODS

The authors conducted a retrospective review of a prospectively maintained database to identify all 90-day SSIs for neurosurgical procedures between 2012 and 2017 at one of their teaching hospitals. SSIs were classified by procedure type (craniotomy, shunt, fusion, or laminectomy). Surveys were administered to attending and resident physicians to understand the variation in scrubbing methods (wet vs dry, iodine vs chlorhexidine, single vs double glove). The chi-square followed by multivariate logistic regression analyses were utilized to identify independent predictors of SSI.

RESULTS

Forty-two operating physicians were included in the study (18 attending physicians, 24 resident physicians), who performed 14,200 total cases. Overall, SSI rates were 2.1% (296 SSIs of 14,200 total cases) and 2.0% (192 of 9,669 cases) for attending physicians and residents, respectively. Shunts were independently associated with an increased risk of SSI (OR 1.7 [95% CI 1.3-2.1]), whereas laminectomies were associated with a decreased SSI risk (OR 0.4 [95% CI 0.2-0.8]). Wet versus dry scrub (OR 0.9 [95% CI 0.6-1.4]), iodine versus chlorhexidine (OR 0.6 [95% CI 0.4-1.1]), and single- versus double-gloving (OR 1.1 [95% CI 0.8-1.4]) preferences were not associated with SSIs.

CONCLUSIONS

There is no evidence to suggest that perioperative infection is associated with personal scrubbing or gloving preference in neurosurgical procedures.

Surgical hand rubbing versus surgical hand scrubbing: Systematic review and meta-analysis of efficacy

BACKGROUND

Surgical hand rubbing (SHR) and surgical hand scrubbing (SHS) are two common methods used by surgeons to reduce surgical site infections. To date, the optimal method that can effectively reduce these infections remains unknown. In this study, we performed a comprehensive statistical analysis to compare the efficacy of these two methods in effectively controlling surgical site infections.

METHODS

A systemic review and meta-analysis was performed by mining literature from major databases, including Pubmed, Embase, Cochrane library, Ovid and Google Scholar, and recruiting studies published between 1980 and 1st April 2019. Analysis was performed using Revman, version 5.3, software, and focused on primary outcomes that included colony-forming unit (CFU) counts and logarithmic reduction of CFU after hand antisepsis and after surgery.

RESULTS

Seven clinical trials met our inclusion criteria, with a total of 764 healthcare workers analyzed. We found no statistically significant differences between the two methods with regards to CFU counts and logarithmic reduction of CFU after hand antisepsis and surgery, as well as antisepsis and surgery times.

CONCLUSION

From the literature, it was evident that SHR had similar efficacy to SHS, without necessarily increasing costs. Owing to advantages such as ease of application, exposure to less dermal irritation, and less time consumption, SHR is recommended as a cost-effective alternative for management of surgical site infections.

Prevention of Postoperative Wound Infections

Surgery creates most hospital infections, injuries, accidents, invalidity and death in the global healthcare system. The number of surgically treated patients per year is high and increasing.

Surgical site infection (SSI) is dependent on type of operation and may occur in 5–20% after surgery, triggers 7–11 extra postoperative days in hospitals and results in 2–11 times higher risk of death than comparable, noninfected patients. Up to 60% of SSI can be prevented. Prevention of postoperative wound infection is done by good general hygiene, operative sterility and effective barriers against transmission of infections, before, during and after surgery. A basic support by hospital leaders, knowledge and skill of the surgical teams, enough resources, excellent treatment of the complete patient admission and monitoring patients after discharge may lead to significant reduction of SSIs, lower death rates and a less expensive health system.

Surgical hand antisepsis: experimental study

Purpose

Nosocomial infections account for one of the most serious complications in hospitalized patients around the world. Surgical site infections have significant economic implications, and surgical antisepsis plays an important role in such processes.

Methods

With prior approval by the Institutional Review Board and informed consent, 10 volunteers were randomly assigned to 3 protocols on hand antisepsis: protocol A (chloroxylenol 3%), protocol B (benzalkonium chloride at 1%), and protocol C (ethyl alcohol 61%, 1% chlorhexidine gluconate). Smears from both hands were cultured after each hand pro tocol (t0) and at the end of suturing (t1). Colony forming units were counted (CFUs on blood agar dishes) with digital counting software (Open CFU). Friedman test was used to compare the mean values among the groups, and a Bonferroni correction was made to determine the dissimilar group, with a P = 0.015.

Results

At t0 for protocol A the CFU count was 82.8 ± 1.3; protocol B was 9.7 ± 30; protocol C was 0.1 ± 0.3 (P < 0.001). At t1 for protocol A the CFU was 80.7 ± 89.4; protocol B was 7.5 ± 32; protocol C was 0.0 ± 0.0 (P < 0.001). No adverse events were present among the subjects.

Conclusion

Ethyl alcohol at 61% with 1% chlorhexidine gluconate showed higher efficacy than the traditional washing antiseptics.

A positive association between nutritional risk and the incidence of surgical site infections: A hospital-based register study

Surgical site infections (SSI) are amongst the most common health care-associated infections and have adverse effects for patient health and for hospital resources. Although surgery guidelines recognize poor nutritional status to be a risk factor for SSI, they do not tell how to identify this condition. The screening tool Nutritional Risk Screening 2002 is commonly used at hospitals to identify patients at nutritional risk. We investigated the association between nutritional risk and the incidence of SSI among 1194 surgical patients at Haukeland University Hospital (Bergen, Norway). This current study combines data from two mandatory hospital-based registers: a) the incidence of SSI within 30 days after surgery, and b) the point-prevalence of patients at nutritional risk. Patients with more than 30 days between surgery and nutritional risk screening were excluded. Associations were assessed using logistic regression, and the adjusted odds ratio included age (continuous), gender (male/female), type of surgery (acute/elective) and score from The American Society of Anesthesiologists Physical Status Classification System. There was a significant higher incidence of SSI among patients at nutritional risk (11.8%), as compared to those who were not (7.0%) (p = 0.047). Moreover, the incidence of SSI was positively associated with the prevalence of nutritional risk in both simple (OR 1.76 (95% CI: 1.04, 2.98)) and adjusted (OR 1.81 (95% CI: 1.04, 3.16)) models. Answering “yes” to the screening questions regarding reduced dietary intake and weight loss was significantly associated with the incidence of SSI (respectively OR 2.66 (95% CI: 1.59, 4.45) and OR 2.15 (95% CI: 1.23, 3.76)). In conclusion, we demonstrate SSI to occur more often among patients at nutritional risk as compared to those who are not at nutritional risk. Future studies should investigate interventions to prevent both SSI and nutritional risk among surgical patients.

Surgical Site Infections in Emergency Abdominal Surgery at Tamale Teaching Hospital, Ghana

BACKGROUND

Surgical site infections (SSIs) result in delayed wound healing, increased use of antibiotics and increased length of hospital stay, putting remarkable physical and financial burden on patients, their relatives and the healthcare facilities. Patient-related factors, such as pre-existing colonization with antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and clinical-related factors, such as adherence to sterile techniques, contribute to the development of SSIs. The objective of this study, therefore, was to determine the SSI rate and risk factors for emergency abdominal surgeries at Tamale Teaching Hospital, Ghana.

METHODS

The study population was composed of patients undergoing emergency abdominal surgery at the Tamale Teaching Hospital between June 2010 and June 2015. Demographic and clinical data were collected and included, but was not limited to, patient age and sex, type of procedure performed, wound class (dirty or contaminated), receipt of perioperative blood transfusion, American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score, presence of SSI, length of hospital stay and outcome of surgery. Standard multiple regression was used to statistically assess the independent variables for their association with SSI, and Pearson correlation coefficient was used to determine the strength of association. The beta (β) values, which had the greatest influence on the overall SSI, indicated the relative influence of the entered variable(s).

RESULTS

A total of 1011 patients underwent various emergency abdominal surgical procedures during the period of study. The β values were 0.008 for perioperative blood transfusion, 0.050 for sex, - 0.048 for ASA risk, - 0.001 for having health insurance, 0.037 for being referred from another health facility and 0.034 for age. Sex was the most distinctive contributor to SSI, while perioperative blood transfusion showed the least influence. Sex and ASA score were the best predictors of SSI occurrence. The coefficients of the P values for wound class and serum haemoglobin level (g/dL) were 0.000 and 0.032, respectively. The outcome of surgery was significantly and strongly associated with overall SSI and vice versa (r = 0.088, P < 0.01 two-tailed).

CONCLUSION

Sex, ASA score, perioperative blood transfusion, wound class and haemoglobin level can predispose to SSI.

Water availability at hospitals in low- and middle-income countries: implications for improving access to safe surgical care

INTRODUCTION

Although two billion people now have access to clean water, many hospitals in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) do not. Lack of water availability at hospitals hinders safe surgical care. We aimed to review the surgical capacity literature and document the availability of water at health facilities and develop a predictive model of water availability at health facilities globally to inform targeted capacity improvements.

METHODS

Using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines, a systematic search for surgical capacity assessments in LMICs in MEDLINE, PubMed, and World Health Organization Global Health Library was performed. Data regarding water availability were extracted. Data from these assessments and national indicator data from the World Bank (e.g., gross domestic product, total health expenditure, and percent of population with improved access to water) were used to create a predictive model for water availability in LMICs globally.

RESULTS

Of the 72 records identified, 19 reported water availability representing 430 hospitals. A total of 66% of hospitals assessed had water availability (283 of 430 hospitals). Using these data, estimated percent of water availability in LMICs more broadly ranged from under 20% (Liberia) to over 90% (Bangladesh, Ghana).

CONCLUSIONS

Less than two-thirds of hospitals providing surgical care in 19 LMICs had a reliable water source. Governments and nongovernmental organizations should increase efforts to improve water infrastructure at hospitals, which might aid in the provision of safe essential surgical care. Future research is needed to measure the effect of water availability on surgical care and patient outcomes.

Impact of sarcopenia on surgical site infection after restorative proctocolectomy for ulcerative colitis

PURPOSE

The coexistence of sarcopenia is associated with postoperative complications, including infection after abdominal surgery. We evaluated the association between sarcopenia and surgical site infection (SSI) after surgery for ulcerative colitis.

METHODS

The subjects of this retrospective study were 69 patients who underwent restorative proctocolectomy with perioperative abdominal computed tomography (CT). Sarcopenia was diagnosed by measuring the cross-sectional area of the right and left psoas muscles as the total psoas muscle area on CT images. We assessed whether sarcopenia was associated with SSI and clinical factors, including nutritional and inflammatory markers.

RESULTS

The lowest quartiles defined as sarcopenia in men and women were 567.4 and 355.8 mm²/m², respectively. According to this classification, 12 men and 6 women had sarcopenia. Patients with sarcopenia had a lower body mass index (p = 0.0004) and a higher C-reactive protein concentration (p = 0.05) than those without sarcopenia. SSIs were identified in 12 patients (17.3 %) and included six pelvic abscesses and seven wound infections. According to multivariate analysis, sarcopenia was an independent risk factor for SSI (odds ratio = 4.91, 95 % confidence interval 1.09-23.5, p = 0.03).

CONCLUSION

Sarcopenia is predictive of SSI after pouch surgery for ulcerative colitis.

Mortality related to hospital-associated infections in a tertiary hospital; repeated cross-sectional studies between 2004-2011

BACKGROUND

Hospital-associated infections (HAIs) are reported to increase patient mortality and incur longer hospital stays. Most studies to date have focused on specific groups of hospitalised patients with a rather short follow-up period. In this repeated cross-sectional study, with prospective follow-up of 19,468 hospitalized patients, we aimed to analyze the impact of HAIs on mortality 30 days and 1 year after the prevalence survey date.

METHODS

The study was conducted at Haukeland University Hospital, Norway, a large combined emergency and referral teaching hospital, from 2004 to 2011 with follow-up until November 2012. Prevalence of all types of HAIs including urinary tract infections (UTI), lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI), surgical site infections (SSI) and blood stream infections (BSI) were recorded four times every year. Information on the date of birth, admission and discharge from the hospital, number of diagnoses (ICD-10 codes) and patient's mortality was retrieved from the patient administrative data system. The data were analysed by Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and by multiple Cox regression analysis, adjusted for year of registration, time period, sex, type of admission, Charlson comorbidity index, surgical operation, use of urinary tract catheter and time from admission to the prevalence survey date.

RESULTS

The overall prevalence of HAIs was 8.5 % (95 % CI: 8.1, 8.9). Patients with HAIs had an adjusted hazard ratio (HR) of 1.5 (95 % CI: 1.3, 1.8,) and 1.4 (95 % CI: 1.2, 1.5) for death within 30-days and 1 year, relative to those without HAIs. Subgroup analyses revealed that patients with BSI, LRTI or more than one simultaneous infection had an increased risk of death.

CONCLUSIONS

In this long time follow-up study, we found that HAIs have severe consequences for the patients. BSI, LRTI and more than one simultaneous infection were independently and strongly associated with increased mortality 30 days and 1 year after inclusion in the study.

Influence of Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor or Influenza Vaccination on HLA-DR, Infection and Delirium Days in Immunosuppressed Surgical Patients: Double Blind, Randomised Controlled Trial

PURPOSE

Surgical patients are at high risk for developing infectious complications and postoperative delirium. Prolonged infections and delirium result in worse outcome. Granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) and influenza vaccination are known to increase HLA-DR on monocytes and improve immune reactivity. This study aimed to investigate whether GM-CSF or vaccination reverses monocyte deactivation. Secondary aims were whether it decreases infection and delirium days after esophageal or pancreatic resection over time.

METHODS

In this prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, double dummy trial setting on an interdisciplinary ICU of a university hospital 61 patients with immunosuppression (monocytic HLA-DR [mHLA-DR] <10,000 monoclonal antibodies [mAb] per cell) on the first day after esophageal or pancreatic resection were treated with either GM-CSF (250 μg/m2/d), influenza vaccination (Mutagrip 0.5 ml/d) or placebo for a maximum of 3 consecutive days if mHLA-DR remained below 10,000 mAb per cell. HLA-DR on monocytes was measured daily until day 5 after surgery. Infections and delirium were followed up for 9 days after surgery. Primary outcome was HLA-DR on monocytes, and secondary outcomes were duration of infection and delirium.

RESULTS

mHLA-DR was significantly increased compared to placebo (p < 0.001) and influenza vaccination (p < 0.001) on the second postoperative day. Compared with placebo, GM-CSF-treated patients revealed shorter duration of infection (p < 0.001); the duration of delirium was increased after vaccination (p = 0.003).

CONCLUSION

Treatment with GM-CSF in patients with postoperative immune suppression was safe and effective in restoring monocytic immune competence. Furthermore, therapy with GM-CSF reduced duration of infection in immune compromised patients. However, influenza vaccination increased duration of delirium after major surgery.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

www.controlled-trials.com ISRCTN27114642.

Comparative antimicrobial efficacy of alcohol-based hand rub and conventional surgical scrub in a medical center

BACKGROUND

Hand hygiene is the cornerstone of aseptic techniques to reduce surgical site infection. Conventional surgical scrub is effective for disinfecting a surgeon's hands. However, the compliance of conventional scrub may be hindered by skin damage, allergy, and time. Alcohol-based hand rub has a satisfactory antimicrobial effect, but mostly in laboratory settings. Our aim was to compare a conventional surgical scrub with an alcohol-based hand rub to evaluate antimicrobial efficacy.

METHODS

From June 1, 2010 to July 31, 2011, 128 healthcare workers were enrolled in the study. They used an alcohol-based hand rub or a conventional surgical scrub as preoperative hand antisepsis during their routine practice. Hand sampling for cultures were performed before and after operations. Positive culture plates were further processed for pathogen identification.

RESULTS

The culture positive rate of the alcohol-based hand rub was 6.2% before operations and 10.8% after operations. Both rates were lower than the conventional surgical scrub [47.6% before operations (p < 0.001) and 25.4% after operations (p = 0.03)]. The most identified pathogens were Gram-positive with coagulase-negative staphylococci being the major pathogen. Multivariate analysis showed that prior hand condition (p = 0.21) and type of surgery such as cardiovascular surgery (p = 0.12) were less relevant, but the alcohol-based hand rub was a significant protective factor for positive hand cultures.

CONCLUSION

The alcohol-based hand rub was more efficacious for surgical antisepsis and had sustained efficacy, compared to conventional surgical scrub. We suggest that alcohol-based hand rubs could be an alternative surgical antiseptic in the operative theater.

Multi-drug-resistant gram-negative bacterial infection in surgical patients hospitalized in the ICU: a cohort study

We sought to identify risk factors for postoperative infections, caused by multi-drug-resistant gram-negative bacteria (MDR-GNB) in surgical patients. This was a retrospective cohort study among patients hospitalized in the intensive care unit (ICU) for more than 5 days, following general surgical operations. Comparison of patients who developed infection caused by MDR-GNB with the remainder of the cohort showed that every minute of operative time, use of special treatments during hospitalization (antineoplastic, immunosuppressive or immunomodulating therapies), every day of metronidazole, and every day of carbapenems use, increased patients' odds to acquire an infection caused by MDR-GNB by 0.7%, 8.9 times, 9%, and 9%, respectively [OR (95% CI): 1.007 (1.003-1.011), p = 0.001; 8.9 (1.8-17.3), p = 0.004; 1.09 (1.04-1.18), p = 0.039; 1.09 (1.01-1.18), p = 0.023, respectively]. The above were adjusted in the multivariable analysis for the confounder of time distribution of infections caused by MDR-GNB. Finally, the secondary comparison, with patients that did not develop any infection, showed that patients who had received antibiotics, within 3 months prior to admission, had 3.8 times higher odds to acquire an infection caused by MDR-GNB [OR (95% CI): 3.8 (1.07-13.2), p = 0.002]. This study depicts certain, potentially modifiable, risk factors for postoperative infections in patients hospitalized in the ICU for more than 5 days.

Severe traumatic head injury affects systemic cytokine expression

BACKGROUND

The neuroimmunologic effect of traumatic head injury remains ill-defined. This study aimed to characterize systemic cytokine profiles among traumatically injured patients to assess the effect of traumatic head injury on the systemic inflammatory response.

STUDY DESIGN

For 5 years, 1,022 patients were evaluated from a multi-institutional Trauma Immunomodulatory Database. Patients were stratified by presence of severe head injury (SHI; head Injury Severity Score ≥4, n = 335) vs nonsevere head injury (NHI; head Injury Severity Score ≤3, n = 687). Systemic cytokine expression was quantified by ELISA within 72 hours of admission. Patient factors, outcomes, and cytokine profiles were compared by univariate analyses.

RESULTS

SHI patients were more severely injured with higher mortality, despite similar ICU infection and ventilator-associated pneumonia rates. Expression of early proinflammatory cytokines, interleukin-6 (p < 0.001) and tumor necrosis factor-α (p = 0.02), was higher among NHI patients, and expression of immunomodulatory cytokines, interferon-γ (p = 0.01) and interleukin-12 (p = 0.003), was higher in SHI patients. High tumor necrosis factor-α levels in NHI patients were associated with mortality (p = 0.01), increased mechanical ventilation (p = 0.02), and development of ventilator-associated pneumonia (p = 0.01). Alternatively, among SHI patients, high interleukin-2 levels were associated with survival, decreased mechanical ventilation, and absence of ventilator-associated pneumonia.

CONCLUSIONS

The presence of severe traumatic head injury significantly alters systemic cytokine expression and exerts an immunomodulatory effect. Early recognition of these profiles can allow for targeted intervention to reduce patient morbidity and mortality.

Surgical Hand Antisepsis–A Pilot Study comparing Povidone Iodine Hand Scrub and Alcohol-based Chlorhexidine Gluconate Hand Rub

Introduction: The surgeon uses different methods of surgical hand antisepsis with the aim of reducing surgical site infections. To date, there are no local studies comparing the efficacy of iodine hand scrub against newer alcohol-based hand rubs with active ingredients. Our pilot study compares a traditional aqueous hand scrub using 7.5% Povidone iodine (PVP-I) against a hand rub using Avagard: 61% ethyl alcohol, 1% chlorhexidine gluconate. The outcome measure is the number of Colony Forming Units (CFU) cultured from 10-digit fingertip imprints on agar plates. Materials and Methods: Ten volunteers underwent 2 hand preparation protocols, with a 30-minute interval in between–Protocol A (3-minute of aqueous scrub using PVP-I) and Protocol B (3-minute of hand rub, until dry, using Avagard). In each protocol, fingertip imprints were obtained immediately after hand preparation (t0). The volunteers proceeded to don sterile gloves and performed specific tasks (suturing). At one hour, the gloves were removed and a second set of imprints was obtained (t1). Results: Four sets of fingertip imprints were obtained. All 10 participants complied with the supervised hand preparation procedures for each protocol. CFUs of initial fingertip imprints (t0): The median CFU counts for initial imprint was significantly higher in the PVP-I treatment (median = 6, Inter Quartile Range (IQR) = 33) compared to the Avagard treatment (median = 0, IQR = 0, P <0.001). CFUs of fingertip imprint at 1 hour (t1): The median CFU counts for second imprint (t1) was significantly higher in the PVP-I treatment (median = 0.5, IQR = 11) compared to the Avagard treatment (median = 0, IQR = 0, P = 0.009). Our results suggest that the Avagard was more efficacious than aqueous PVP-I scrub at reducing baseline colony counts and sustaining this antisepsis effect. Conclusion: Alcohol hand rub with an active compound, demonstrated superior efficacy in CFU reduction. Based on our results, and those pooled from other authors, we suggest that alcohol-based hand rubs could be included in the operating theatre as an alternative to traditional surgical scrub for surgical hand antisepsis. Key words: Alcohol-based, Hand rub, Hand scrub, Surgical hand antisepsis, Surgical site infection

Predictors of mortality in surgical patients with Acinetobacter baumannii bacteremia

BACKGROUND

Acinetobacter baumannii has emerged as an important pathogen of nosocomial infection. The aim of this study was to evaluate the predictors of poor outcome in surgical patients with A baumannii bacteremia.

METHODS

We retrospectively recruited a total of 50 patients who developed A baumannii bacteremia within 2 weeks after surgery during a 113-month period. The primary outcome for this study was all-cause 14-day mortality. Clinical and laboratory data, antimicrobial susceptibility, treatment, and Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score were evaluated as possible predictors of outcome.

RESULTS

The 14-day mortality was 20% and there was no association between type of surgery and mortality. The SOFA score was the only independent predictor of 14-day mortality after adjustment for other variables. The calibration was acceptable (Hosmer-Lemeshow χ(2) = 3.65, p = 0.72) and the discrimination was good (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve: 0.80 ± 0.07, 95% confidence interval, 0.67-0.94). We found that a SOFA score ≥ 7 was a significant predictor of 14-day mortality in surgical patients with A baumannii bacteremia.

CONCLUSIONS

The SOFA score assessed at the onset of bacteremia is a reliable tool for predicting 14-day mortality in surgical patients with A baumannii bacteremia.

Diagnosis-dependent relationships between cytokine levels and survival in patients admitted for surgical critical care

BACKGROUND

Death after trauma, infection, or other critical illness has been attributed to unbalanced inflammation, in which dysregulation of cytokines leads to multiple organ dysfunction and death. We hypothesized that admission cytokine profiles associated with death would differ based on admitting diagnosis.

STUDY DESIGN

This 5-year study included patients admitted for trauma or surgical intensive care for more than 48 hours at 2 academic, tertiary care hospitals between October 2001 and May 2006. Cytokine analysis for interleukin (IL)-1, -2, -4, -6, -8, -10, -12, interferon-gamma, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha was performed using ELISA on specimens drawn within 72 hours of admission. Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare median admission cytokine levels between alive and deceased patients. Relative risks and odds of death associated with admission cytokines were generated using univariate analysis and multivariate logistic regression models, respectively.

RESULTS

There were 1,655 patients who had complete cytokine data: 290 infected, nontrauma; 343 noninfected, nontrauma; and 1,022 trauma. Among infected patients, nonsurvivors had higher median admission levels of IL-2, -8, -10, and granulocyte macrophage-colony stimulating factor; noninfected, nontrauma patients had higher IL-6, -8, and IL-10; and nonsurviving trauma patients had higher IL-4, -6, -8, and TNF-alpha. IL-4 was the most significant predictor of death and carried the highest relative risk of dying in trauma patients, and IL-8 in nontrauma, noninfected patients. In infected patients, no cytokine independently predicted death.

CONCLUSIONS

Cytokine profiles of certain disease states may identify persons at risk of dying and allow for selective targeting of multiple cytokines to prevent organ dysfunction and death.

Who is monitoring your infections: shouldn't you be?

BACKGROUND

In the era of pay for performance and outcome comparisons among institutions, it is imperative to have reliable and accurate surveillance methodology for monitoring infectious complications. The current monitoring standard often involves a combination of prospective and retrospective analysis by trained infection control (IC) teams. We have developed a medical informatics application, the Surgical Intensive Care-Infection Registry (SIC-IR), to assist with infection surveillance. The objectives of this study were to: (1) Evaluate for differences in data gathered between the current IC practices and SIC-IR; and (2) determine which method has the best sensitivity and specificity for identifying ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP).

METHODS

A prospective analysis was conducted in two surgical and trauma intensive care units (STICU) at a level I trauma center (Unit 1: 8 months, Unit 2: 4 months). Data were collected simultaneously by the SIC-IR system at the point of patient care and by IC utilizing multiple administrative and clinical modalities. Data collected by both systems included patient days, ventilator days, central line days, number of VAPs, and number of catheter-related blood steam infections (CR-BSIs). Both VAPs and CR-BSIs were classified using the definitions of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The VAPs were analyzed individually, and true infections were defined by a physician panel blinded to methodology of surveillance. Using these true infections as a reference standard, sensitivity and specificity for both SIC-IR and IC were determined.

RESULTS

A total of 769 patients were evaluated by both surveillance systems. There were statistical differences between the median number of patient days/month and ventilator-days/month when IC was compared with SIC-IR. There was no difference in the rates of CR-BSI/1,000 central line days per month. However, VAP rates were significantly different for the two surveillance methodologies (SIC-IR: 14.8/1,000 ventilator days, IC: 8.4/1,000 ventilator days; p = 0.008). The physician panel identified 40 patients (5%) who had 43 VAPs. The SIC-IR identified 39 and IC documented 22 of the 40 patients with VAP. The SIC-IR had a sensitivity and specificity of 97% and 100%, respectively, for identifying VAP and for IC, a sensitivity of 56% and a specificity of 99%.

CONCLUSIONS

Utilizing SIC-IR at the point of patient care by a multidisciplinary STICU team offers more accurate infection surveillance with high sensitivity and specificity. This monitoring can be accomplished without additional resources and engages the physicians treating the patient.

Mortality attributable to hospital-acquired infections among surgical patients

We performed a multicenter prospective matched cohort study to evaluate the mortality attributable to hospital-acquired infections among 12,791 patients admitted to surgical departments. We were able to match 731 patients with 1 or more hospital-acquired infections (ie, case patients) with 731 patients without a hospital-acquired infection (ie, control patients) at a 1:1 ratio. Of the 731 case patients, 42 (5.7%) died; of the 731 control patients, 23 (3.1%) died--a significant difference of 2.6%.

Does impaired TH1/TH2 balance cause postoperative infectious complications in colorectal cancer surgery?

BACKGROUND

Recent studies have shown that the Th1/Th2 balance shifts toward Th2 dominance in cancer-bearing state or under surgical stress. This study was designed to investigate whether perioperative impaired Th1/Th2 balance is associated with the occurrence of postoperative infection following colorectal cancer surgery.

METHODS

From 53 patients with colorectal cancer, peripheral blood samples were collected, before surgery, and on the 3rd, 7th, and 14th postoperative days. The proportions of CD4(+) T-helper cells producing intracellular cytokines including interferon-gamma (Th1 cells) and interleukin-4 (Th2 cells) were measured by flow cytometry. The patients were divided into two groups according to the presence (infected group) and absence (noninfected group) of postoperative infection.

RESULTS

The infected group showed serum hypoalbuminemia and higher frequency of blood transfusion compared with the noninfected group. No significant difference in the proportion of Th1 cells was observed between the two groups. In contrast, the infected group showed significantly higher proportions of Th2 cells than the noninfected group (1.9 +/- 0.9% for noninfected group and 2.8 +/- 1.3% for infected group; P<0.05). Regarding Th1/Th2 ratio, the infected group showed a lower ratio than the noninfected group (14.7 +/- 8.8 for noninfected group and 9.0 +/- 3.2 for infected group; P<0.05). Throughout the postoperative period, the Th1/Th2 ratio in the infected group was significantly lower than that in the noninfected group.

CONCLUSIONS

This study demonstrated that perioperative Th2 dominance in addition to hypoalbuminemia and blood transfusion is associated with the occurrence of infection following colorectal cancer surgery. These results provide further information that may direct future treatments based on the Th1/Th2 concept focusing on decreasing the risk of postoperative infection.

Use of the national noscomial infection surveillance system risk index for prediction of mortality: results of a 6-year postdischarge follow-up study

A positive linear trend (P<.001) between the National Noscomial Infection Surveillance system (NNIS) risk index and mortality was observed in 2,848 general surgery patients followed up 6 years after discharge. In stratified analyses, the NNIS risk index predicted mortality in patients with chronic disease (P=.007, by test for trend) but not in the remaining patients.

Preoperative use of mupirocin for the prevention of healthcare-associated Staphylococcus aureus infections: a cost-effectiveness analysis

OBJECTIVE

Staphylococcus aureus is the most common cause of healthcare-associated infections. Intranasal mupirocin treatment probably decreases S. aureus infections among colonized surgical patients. Using cost-effectiveness analysis, we evaluated the cost-effectiveness of preoperative use of mupirocin for the prevention of healthcare-associated S. aureus infections.

METHODS

Three strategies were compared: (1) screen with nasal culture and give treatment to carriers, (2) give treatment to all patients without screening, and (3) neither screen nor treat. A societal perspective was taken. Adverse outcomes included bloodstream infection, pneumonia, surgical site infection, death due to underlying illness or infection, readmission, and the need for home health care. Data inputs were obtained from an extensive MEDLINE review and from publicly available government data sources. The following base-case data inputs (and ranges) for sensitivity analysis were used: rate of S. aureus carriage, 23.1% (19%-55%); efficacy of mupirocin treatment, 51% (8%-75%); mupirocin treatment cost, 48.36 US Dollars (24.18-57.74 US Dollars); and hospital costs of bloodstream infection, 25,128 US Dollars (6,194-40,211 US Dollars), pneumonia, 18,366 US Dollars (5,574-28,952 US Dollars), and surgical site infection 16,256 US Dollars (5,119-22,553 US Dollars). Widespread use of mupirocin has been associated with high levels of mupirocin resistance; therefore, a broad range of estimates for efficacy was tested in the sensitivity analysis.

PATIENTS

The target population included patients undergoing nonemergent surgery requiring postoperative hospitalization.

RESULTS

Both the screen-and-treat and treat-all strategies were cost saving, saving 102 US Dollars per patient screened and 88 US Dollars per patient treated, respectively. In 1-way sensitivity analyses, the model was robust with respect to all data inputs except for the efficacy of mupirocin treatment. If the efficacy is less than 16.1%, then the screen-and-treat strategy is cost incurring. A treat-all strategy was more cost saving if the rate of S. aureus carriage was greater than 42.7%, the mupirocin cost was less than 29.87 US Dollars, or nursing compensation was greater than 64.21 US Dollars per hour.

CONCLUSION

Administration of mupirocin before surgery is cost saving, primarily because healthcare-associated infections are very expensive. The level of mupirocin efficacy is critical to the cost-effectiveness of this intervention.

Indices of Surgical Site Infection Risk and Prediction of Other Adverse Outcomes During Hospitalization

Objective.

To assess which adverse postsurgical outcomes are best predicted by the Study on the Efficacy of Nosocomial Infection Control (SENIC) index and the National Nosocomial Infection Surveillance system (NNIS) index.

Design.

Prospective cohort study.

Setting.

The service of general surgery at a tertiary care hospital.

Patients.

A consecutive series of patients hospitalized for more than 1 day (n = 2,989).

Results.

The outcome best predicted by the SENIC and NNIS indices was assessed by estimating the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. The areas under the ROC curves for nosocomial infection and in-hospital death were higher for the NNIS index than they were for the SENIC index (P<.05). The NNIS index predicted in-hospital death better than it predicted surgical site infection (area under the ROC curve ± SE, 0.836 ± 0.022 vs 0.689 ± 0.017; P = .001).

Conclusions.

The NNIS index is superior to the SENIC index for all adverse postsurgical outcomes. Its ability to predict in-hospital mortality is clearly better than its ability to predict surgical site infection.

Indices of surgical site infection risk and prediction of other adverse outcomes during hospitalization

OBJECTIVE

To assess which adverse postsurgical outcomes are best predicted by the Study on the Efficacy of Nosocomial Infection Control (SENIC) index and the National Nosocomial Infection Surveillance system (NNIS) index.

DESIGN

Prospective cohort study.

SETTING

The service of general surgery at a tertiary care hospital.

PATIENTS

A consecutive series of patients hospitalized for more than 1 day (n=2,989).

RESULTS

The outcome best predicted by the SENIC and NNIS indices was assessed by estimating the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. The areas under the ROC curves for nosocomial infection and in-hospital death were higher for the NNIS index than they were for the SENIC index (P<.05). The NNIS index predicted in-hospital death better than it predicted surgical site infection (area under the ROC curve+/-SE, 0.836+/-0.022 vs 0.689+/-0.017; P=.001).

CONCLUSIONS

The NNIS index is superior to the SENIC index for all adverse postsurgical outcomes. Its ability to predict in-hospital mortality is clearly better than its ability to predict surgical site infection.

Surgical hand rubbing compared with surgical hand scrubbing: comparison of efficacy and costs

The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of surgical hand rubbing (SHR) with the efficacy of surgical hand scrubbing (SHS), and to determine the costs of both techniques for surgical hand disinfection. A review of studies reported in the literature that compared the efficacy of SHS and SHR was performed using MEDLINE. The costs of SHR and SHS were estimated based on standard hospital costs. The literature showed that SHR had immediate efficacy that was similar to that of SHS, but SHR had a more lasting effect. SHR reduced costs by 67%. In conclusion, SHR is a cost-effective alternative to SHS.

Epidemiologische Grundlagen

Eine Vielzahl an Faktoren tragen zu erhöhten nosokomialen Infektionsraten bei. Die Lebenserwartung und damit der Anteil alter Patienten mit z. T. chronischen Krankheiten steigen stetig an. Medizinische Fortschritte in Diagnostik und Therapie führen zu einer höheren Anzahl der dafür erforderlichen Eingriffe. Es werden immer häufiger immunsupprimierte Patienten (Infektiologie, Rheumatologie, Hämatologie/Onkologie, Transplantation von Organen usw.) behandelt. Das zunehmende Problem der Antibiotikaresistenz von Erregern und die Konsequenzen nosokomialer Infektionen erfordern eine verlässliche Epidemiologie auf diesem Gebiet. Konsequenzen betreffen einerseits Patienten, bei denen es zu einer erhöhten Morbidität und Letalität durch nosokomiale Infektionen kommt, aber andererseits auch das Gesundheitswesen, dem zusätzliche — vermeidbare? — finanzielle Belastungen entstehen.

Evidenzbasierte Empfehlungen, bei denen der jeweilige Einzelfall und die örtlichen Besonderheiten ebenfalls Berücksichtigung finden, sind Voraussetzung für eine sinnvolle und kosteneffektive Vorgehensweise zur Senkung der nosokomialen Infektionsrate. In vielen Studien sind Häufigkeiten und Folgen verschiedener nosokomialer Infektionsarten sowie Maßnahmen zu ihrer Prävention untersucht worden. Um die Qualität solcher Studien und die darauf basierenden Empfehlungen von Experten, die ja oftmals ebenfalls mit Kosten verbunden sind, kritisch beurteilen zu können, ist epidemiologisches Wissen unverzichtbar. Dies beinhaltet selbstverständlich auch die Kenntnis der jeweiligen Erreger solcher Infektionen sowie das Wissen um erregerspezifische Übertragungswege. Die Epidemiologie nosokomialer Infektionen ist daher die Grundlage ihrer eigenen Verbesserung.

»Es gibt nicht Kranke und Gesunde, sondern es gibt nur Untersuchte und nicht Untersuchte« (Johannes Rau, ehemaliger Bundespräsident).

Liver injury in sepsis and abdominal compartment syndrome in rats

PURPOSE

To evaluate the extent of liver injury after the onset of sepsis and abdominal compartment syndrome (ACS) in rats.

METHODS

We divided 60 rats into four groups of 15. Group 1 was the sham group. In group 2, sepsis was induced by cecal puncture and ligation; in group 3, ACS was created by placing a catheter in the abdominal cavity; and in group 4, both sepsis and ACS were induced simultaneously. Liver sections stained with hematoxylin-eosin were assessed pathologically, and liver injury was defined by the following five pathological patterns: spotty necrosis, capsular inflammation, portal inflammation, ballooning degeneration, and steatosis of the liver. We revised a new scoring system, called "Hepatic Injury Severity Scoring" (HISS), to evaluate the liver injury in sepsis, ACS, and sepsis plus ACS. Blood was collected for liver function tests.

RESULTS

The total scores of groups 1, 2, 3, and 4 were 18, 92, 86, and 123, respectively. There were significant differences in histopathologic grade between group 1 and groups 2, 3, and 4 (P < 0.05). Aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, and total bilirubin levels were significantly higher in group 4 than in the other three groups.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings of this study showed that liver function severely affected the onset of ACS and sepsis. The liver injury resulting from sepsis plus ACS is more severe than that resulting from either one independently.

Evaluation of risk factors for mortality in intensive care units: a prospective study from a referral hospital in Turkey

BACKGROUND

The aim of the clinical practice is to decrease the mortality rate in intensive care units. Determination of the risk factors for mortality may provide useful guidance for intensive care patients. This study sought to find mortality-related risk factors in intensive care units.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate risk factors for mortality in intensive care units (ICUs).

METHODS

The prospective study was performed from May 2002 to November 2002 in the surgical and medical ICUs of the Ankara Numune Education and Research Hospital. Three hundred thirty-four patients who were followed in the ICUs for at least 48 hours were enrolled in this study. Those patients who died within 48 hours of ICU discharge were included in the mortality analysis.

RESULTS

The overall mortality rate in the ICUs was 46.7%. Among the 334 patients, 104 (31.1%) had ICU-acquired infections. The mortality rate was significantly higher in the patients with nosocomial infections (66.3%) than in the patients without nosocomial infections (37.8%) ( P < .001). The mean age, sex, acute physiology and chronic health evaluation (APACHE) II score, trauma and intraabdominal pathology, nosocomial infection, stay in the medical/surgical ICU, coma, TISS score, use of steroid or chemotherapy, use of antibiotic, and serum urea >50 mg/dL and creatinine >1.2 mg/dL levels were associated with mortality in the univariate analysis. Eight variables were determined as independent risk factors: presence of nosocomial infection (hazard ratio (HR) 0.40; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.27-0.61), mean age (HR, 1.01; 95% CI, 1.00-1.02), mean APACHE II score (HR, 1.99; 95% CI, 1.50-2.64), mechanical ventilation (HR, 1.98; 95% CI, 1.33-2.95), stay in the medical/surgical ICU (HR, 0.41; 95% CI, 0.27-0.61), enteral nutrition (HR, 0.43; 95% CI, 0.29-0.65), tracheostomy (HR, 0.26; 95% CI, 0.094-0.75), and use of steroid or chemotherapy (HR, 1.61; 95% CI, 1.13-2.29). Nosocomial pneumonia (HR, 0.59; 95% CI, 0.38-0.92) and sepsis (HR, 0.29; 95% CI, 0.16-0.51) were related with mortality.

CONCLUSION

The most important risk factors of mortality were observed as nosocomial infection, older age, high APACHE II score, mechanical ventilation, enteral nutrition, tracheostomy, and use of steroids or chemotherapy.

The importance of the day of the week and duration of data collection in prevalence surveys of nosocomial infections

In a national prevalence survey setting, we studied whether the day of week selected for data collection, and the number of days needed to complete the survey, were associated with the prevalence of hospital-acquired infection (HAI). The EPINE (Estudio de Prevalencia de las Infecciones Nosocomiales en España) database (1990-2002) was analysed for the purposes of the study. Adjusting for the admission day in the week, the number of intrinsic risk factors, the number of extrinsic risk factors and the prevalence length of stay, a 'weekend effect' was confirmed in this study. The day of the week selected for data collection was related to the presence of infection in the surveyed patients, showing for the period of Saturday-Monday a higher prevalence of patients with HAI (adjusted OR 1.08, 95%CI 1.05-1.10). There was a crude positive trend between number of weeks and prevalence, but the number of days involved in data collection was finally not associated with the prevalence of HAI, once adjustment for hospital size was made. The percentage of repeated records increased linearly with hospital size, and the frequency of infections was higher within this group (OR 2.8, 95%CI 2.6-3.0). The results of this study highlight the need for encouraging hospitals to shorten the time spent in obtaining a prevalence survey. If it is impossible to carry out the survey within the limits of one day, data collection should then be limited to that period of the week, Tuesday to Friday.

Prevalence of nosocomial infections in Italy: result from the Lombardy survey in 2000

A one-day survey was carried out in 88 out of 113 public hospitals in Lombardy to obtain prevalence rates of hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) by hospital departments and to identify the pathogens more frequently involved. In total 18667 patients were surveyed, representing 72% of the average daily total of occupied beds in public hospitals in Lombardy. The overall prevalence of HAI was 4.9%. The highest prevalence was observed in intensive care units and in spinal units. The prevalence of bloodstream infections was 0.6%; pneumonia 1.1%; urinary tract infections 1.6% and gastrointestinal infections 0.4%. In surgical patients the prevalence of surgical site infections was 2.7%. The most frequently isolated pathogen from all sites of infections was Escherichia coli (16.8%), followed by Staphylococcus aureus (15.0%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (13.2%) and Candida spp. (8.7%). Methicillin-resistant S. aureus accounted for 23% of all isolated S. aureus. The results provide baseline data for rational priorities in allocation of resources, for further studies and for infection control activities.

Alcohol drinking as a predictor of intensive care and hospital mortality in general surgery: a prospective study

AIMS

To analyse whether alcohol drinking increases admission to intensive care and in-hospital mortality in general surgery.

DESIGN AND PARTICIPANTS

A prospective cohort study on a consecutive series of 1505 hospitalized patients in a Service of General Surgery of a tertiary hospital.

MEASUREMENTS

Drinking pattern was defined by quantity, frequency and volume of drinking. Information on relevant confounders was obtained: smoking, body mass index, nutritional status (measured by serum albumin), cholesterol and its fractions, severity of the underlying disease and all therapeutic measures. Multivariate logistic regression was applied to assess the relationship between drinking and both admission to intensive care and in-hospital death.

RESULTS

Twenty-nine (1.9%) patients died and 33 (2.1%) were admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU). Drinking was heavier in men, patients without antecedents of cancer, with lower preoperative risk assessment scores, number of co-morbidities and age and higher serum albumin levels. After adjusting for age, severity of underlying disease, smoking and serum albumin, male drinkers of 72+ g/day had an increased risk of being admitted to ICU, the effect being stronger for week-day drinking (odds ratio, OR = 8.48; 95% confidence interval, CI = 1.68-42.8). A significant association was also seen between week-day drinking (72+ g/day) and death in men (OR = 7.19, 95% CI = 1.43-36.1). Numbers for women were too small to evaluate.

CONCLUSION

Heavy drinking increases admission to intensive care and in-hospital mortality in hospitalized male patients undergoing general surgery procedures.

Relationship between hospital infection and long-term mortality in general surgery: a prospective follow-up study

A prospective study of 1431 patients admitted to a general surgery department were followed up for a median of 6.2 years after discharge (7679 person-years of follow-up). We collected information on underlying conditions, including severity of illness, and healthcare-related variables. Relative rates of death and their 95% confidence interval (CI) were estimated using person-years as the denominator. Multiple-risk factors adjusted for relative rates (RR) were obtained using Poisson regression analysis. There were 172 deaths during the follow-up period after hospital discharge (2/100 person-years). Follow-up was complete in 91% of the cohort. There were no important differences in demographic characteristics or risk factors between patients followed up and those lost to follow-up. The death rate in patients with any hospital-acquired infection was 5.3/100 person-years, and the relative rate was 3.07 (95% CI: 2.20-4.24). After adjusting for the main predictors of mortality, we found an effect modification by the presence of chronic disease (P = 0.01 for the product-term between hospital infection and the diagnosis of chronic diseases). Among patients without any underlying chronic disease, hospital-acquired infection was related to a significantly higher long-term mortality (RR = 2.47, 95% CI: 1.24-4.91). In these patients, surgical wound infection yielded a RR of mortality of 3.44 (95% CI: 1.63-7.27). Among patients with underlying chronic disease no association between hospital infection and long-term mortality was found. No evidence of an important modification of the relative rate along the follow-up period was observed. In conclusion surgical patients without chronic disease developing hospital-acquired infection have an increased risk of long-term mortality.

Risk factors for surgical site infection after elective resection of the colon and rectum: a single-center prospective study of 2,809 consecutive patients

OBJECTIVE

To identify the risk factors for surgical site infection (SSI) in patients undergoing elective resection of the colon and rectum.

SUMMARY BACKGROUND DATA

SSI causes a substantial number of deaths and complications. Determining risk factors for SSI may provide information on reducing complications and improving outcome.

METHODS

The authors performed a prospective study of 2,809 consecutive patients undergoing elective colorectal resection via laparotomy between February 1995 and December 1998 at a single institution. The outcome of interest was SSI, which was classified as being incisional or organ/space with or without clinical leakage. A likelihood ratio forward regression model was used to assess the independent association of variables with SSIs.

RESULTS

The overall SSI, incisional SSI, and organ/space SSI with and without clinical anastomotic leakage rates were 4.7%, 3%, 2%, and 0.8%, respectively. Risk factors for overall SSI were American Society of Anesthesiology (ASA) score 2 or 3 (odd ratio [OR] = 1.7), male gender (OR = 1.5), surgeons (OR = 1.3-3.3), types of operation (OR = 0.3-2.1), creation of ostomy (OR = 2.1), contaminated wound (OR = 2.9), use of drainage (OR = 1.6), and intra- or postoperative blood transfusion (1-3 units, OR = 5.3; >/=4 units, OR = 6.2). However, SSIs at specific sites differed from each other with respect to the risk factors. Among a variety of risk factors, only blood transfusion was consistently associated with a risk of SSI at any specific site.

CONCLUSIONS

In addition to ASA score and surgical wound class, blood transfusion, creation of ostomy, types of operation, use of drainage, sex, and surgeons were important in predicting SSIs after elective colorectal resection.

Critical care of patients with cancer. Surgical considerations

Surgical evaluation of and therapy for the critically ill cancer patient continue to present significant challenges despite, or perhaps in part because of, an ongoing technologic refinement of therapeutic modalities within a modern ICU.

Applicability of two surgical-site infection risk indices to risk of sepsis in surgical patients

OBJECTIVE

To compare the ability of the Study of the Efficacy of Nosocomial Infection Control (SENIC) and the National Nosocomial Infection Surveillance (NNIS) indices to predict the development of nosocomial sepsis in subjects undergoing surgery.

DESIGN

1-year prospective case-control study.

SETTING

A tertiary-care center in Spain.

PATIENTS

Cases were surgical patients with nosocomial sepsis defined using the criteria of the Consensus Conference on Sepsis, identified by daily prospective surveillance.

METHODS

Controls were randomly selected from the daily list of surgical inpatients. Data were prospectively collected. To determine whether either index added explanatory information to the other, two methods were used. The first method involved computing a set of residuals for both variables. Residuals and primary variables were introduced in logistic regression models. The second method evaluated both indices with the Goodman-Kruskal (G) nonparametric coefficient.

RESULTS

99 cases and 97 controls were included. After controlling for confounders, both the SENIC index (P<.001) and the NNIS index (P=.04) showed a significant trend. Residuals of the SENIC index added discriminating ability to the NNIS index, whereas residuals of the NNIS index did not improve the prediction ability of the SENIC index. Similar results were yielded by the G statistic: the SENIC index showed higher predictive power than the NNIS index (G=0.56 vs G=0.41).

CONCLUSIONS

Both indices performed about equally well for discriminating risk of nosocomial sepsis. The SENIC index had a somewhat better ability than the NNIS index only when the number of discharge diagnoses (not truly a predictive factor) were involved in the calculation of the SENIC index.

Analysis of risk factors for nosocomial sepsis in surgical patients

BACKGROUND

This study aimed to identify patients at high risk for developing sepsis following surgery according to criteria determined by the American College of Chest Physicians and the Society of Critical Care Medicine Consensus Conference on sepsis.

METHODS

A prospective case-control study was performed in surgical patients in a tertiary care centre over 1 year. Patients were identified by a daily prospective surveillance. Controls were selected randomly from the daily list of surgical inpatients. Data were collected prospectively. Crude and adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and their 95 per cent confidence intervals were computed using logistic regression analysis.

RESULTS

During follow-up, 99 cases and 99 controls were identified. The main risk factors for sepsis found in the multivariate analysis were coma within 48 h before sepsis (OR 13.5, 95 per cent confidence interval 3.6-50.8), low serum albumin level at admission (OR 15.8, 5.4-46.4), two or more intrinsic co-morbidities (OR 11.8, 2.8-49.4) and parenteral nutrition (OR 5.1, 1.5-17.1). Emergency surgery (OR 3.0, 1.4-6.4), abdominal surgery (OR 2.6, 1.0-6.8) and number of surgical interventions (OR 2.5, 1. 1-6.1) were the variables related to surgery that significantly increased the risk of sepsis. Both the study on the Efficacy of Nosocomial Infection Control (SENIC) and the National Nosocomial Infections Surveillance indices showed a statistically significant trend with sepsis.

CONCLUSION

Patient-related factors appear to represent the greatest risk for developing postoperative nosocomial sepsis, rather than factors associated with the surgery.

Diagnosis and Treatment of Opportunistic Infections in Immunocompromised Surgical Patients

The advent of successful therapy for patients who suffer many types of organ dysfunction and failure, malignancies, and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome has led to the concurrent threat of infection due to a wide array of pathogens, particularly opportunistic microbes that rarely cause disease under routine circumstances. Among patients who are subjected to extreme degrees of immunosuppression, almost any type of bacterial, fungal, viral, protozoal, or parasitic organism can exhibit pathogenic potential and lead to devastating consequences for the host. Immunosuppressive drug therapy for the purpose of organ allograft maintenance, cancer chemotherapy, or the human immunodeficiency virus exerts potent effects upon cellular immunity. Therefore, although these groups of patients are more susceptible to all types of infectious disease processes, infections due to those pathogens that require a component of cellular immunity for their eradication, such as fungi and viruses, occur at a higher frequency than that observed among normal individuals. Of critical importance, all types of infections are associated with higher rates of morbidity and mortality in immunosuppressed patients. Currently, improved diagnostic techniques and new treatment modalities have rendered many serious infections, for which suitable therapy previously did not exist, amenable to treatment. Because of the large number of immunosuppressed patients who now lead highly productive lives, it is important for the surgical practitioner to become familiar with the modalities currently available to precisely diagnose and effectively treat opportunistic infections in immunocompromised surgical patients.