[Inpatient and follow-up nosocomial wound infection in orthopedics].
METHODS
This study was designed to determine if direct documentation (in-patients) and questionnaire (out-patients) are reliable follow-up methods to record nosocomial wound infections (NWI) after orthopedic surgery. Furthermore if postdischarge NWI were also detected without this project.


METHODS
1664 patients after orthopedic surgery were evaluated over 20 month. In-hospital infections were directly documented. Later infections were recorded by questionnaire 3 months following patient's discharge. Data of all cases with NWI were retrospectively evaluated as a control.


RESULTS
A total of 18 NWI (1.1%) were recorded. 2 of these were deep wound infections after hip or knee arthroplasty, no re-operation was required. 6 NWI (33.3%) occurred after discharge. All of these post-discharge NWI were detected in our out-patient clinics.


CONCLUSIONS
This study demonstrate, that postoperative wound infections surveillance must be continued after discharge. 33.3% NWI occurred after discharge and all cases were detected at our out-patient clinics. We conclude that questionnaires to record post-discharge NWI are not necessary in hospitals with routinely follow-up in out-patient clinics.
Martini
F
F
Orthopädische Universitätsklinik Tübingen.
Tieben
C
C
Blumenstock
G
G
Heeg
P
P
Kadner
A
A
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D019644:Arthroplasty, Replacement, Hip; D019645:Arthroplasty, Replacement, Knee; D002648:Child; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019637:Orthopedic Procedures; D010865:Pilot Projects; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D013530:Surgical Wound Infection / Q000209:etiology*