title: The incidence of post-operative wound infection in orthopaedic surgery.
abstract: With the increase in the number of orthopaedic surgeons and the aggressive marketing by manufacturing companies, high technology orthopaedic surgery is being more frequently carried out in Malaysia. Post-operative sepsis complicating this type of surgery can have disastrous consequences. No data is available in this country on the incidence of post-operative infection in Orthopaedic Surgery. The aim of this study was to determine the incidence of post-operative infection. A retrospective survey of 703 patients undergoing elective Orthopaedic Surgery in the year 1991 was carried out. We found an overall post-operative infection rate of 6.8% and a deep infection rate of 3.3%. This figure of 3.3% is higher than the internationally accepted figure of less than 2%. A need for ongoing surveillance and concerned effort to reduce the infection rate is stressed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Malaya, Kuala, Lumpur.
authors.forename: K S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Dhillon
authors.forename: C S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Kok
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008296:Malaysia / Q000453:epidemiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009985:Orthopedics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013530:Surgical Wound Infection / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents