title: Wound infections in clean and potentially contaminated surgery. Importance of bacterial and non-bacterial factors.
abstract: Postoperative wound infections in clean--and potentially contaminated surgery were studied with regard to demonstrable wound contamination and the occurrence of non-bacterial wound infection promoting factors. The incidence of demonstrable wound contamination in clean surgery was low, and observed rates of wound infection could not be related to differences in wound contamination, but to the occurrence of non-bacterial wound infection potentiating factors, e.g. implantation of foreign materials (osteosynthesis), cicatrical tissues or a compromized host. Corresponding studies in potentially contaminated surgery revealed a significantly higher incidence of wound contamination compared to clean surgery and a significant correlation between Gram negative wound contamination and rates of postoperative wound infections in certain types of gastrointestinal surgery. Patient factors, such as age or malignancy, did not influence the wound infection frequency when the incidence of wound contamination was taken into consideration.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001660:Biliary Tract Diseases / Q000601:surgery; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005767:Gastrointestinal Diseases / Q000601:surgery; D005932:Gloves, Surgical; D006088:Gram-Negative Aerobic Bacteria / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012621:Seasons; D012867:Skin / Q000382:microbiology; D013210:Staphylococcus / Q000302:isolation & purification; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000302:isolation & purification; D013530:Surgical Wound Infection / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D013997:Time Factors; D014570:Urologic Diseases / Q000601:surgery