Predictive factors of post-discharge surgical site infections among patients from a teaching hospital

• Published in: Revista da Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical
• Main Authors: Adriana Estela Biasotti Gomes, Ricardo de Souza Cavalcante, Érika Cibele Pereira Pavan, Elaine da Silva Freitas, Carlos Magno Castelo Branco Fortaleza
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical (SBMT) 2014
• Subjects: Infection control; Surgical site infections; Surveillance; Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine; RC955-962; Arctic
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1590/0037-8682-0069-2013; https://doaj.org/article/b304a0aa475c40c39eeb9bd011626017

Introduction Surgical site infections (SSIs) often manifest after patients are discharged and are missed by hospital-based surveillance. Methods We conducted a case-reference study nested in a prospective cohort of patients from six surgical specialties in a teaching hospital. The factors related to SSI were compared for cases identified during the hospital stay and after discharge. Results Among 3,427 patients, 222 (6.4%) acquired an SSI. In 138 of these patients, the onset of the SSI occurred after discharge. Neurological surgery and the use of steroids were independently associated with a greater likelihood of SSI diagnosis during the hospital stay. Conclusions Our results support the idea of a specialty-based strategy for post-discharge SSI surveillance.