title: A prospective study of surgical site infections in a pediatric hospital in Mexico City.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Pediatric surgical site infection (SSI) rates in the United States range from 2.5% to 4.4%. There is little data regarding their risk factors among children. We quantified SSI rates and identified risk factors of SSI in a tertiary care pediatric teaching hospital in Mexico City.
  
  
  METHODS
  All neurosurgical, cardiovascular, and general surgical patients who underwent operation between Aug 1, 1998, and Jan 31, 1999, were followed-up daily during hospitalization. On postoperative day 30, a full review of microbiology reports and medical records was performed. Univariate and multivariate analyses were done to identify risk factors.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Four hundred twenty-eight of 530 children completed follow-up. The overall SSI rate was 18.7%. Forty percent of SSI were superficial incisional, 21% were deep incisional, and 39% were organ/space infections. For clean, clean-contaminated, contaminated, and dirty procedures, SSI infection rates were 12.4%, 24.4%, 14.3%, and 32.4%, respectively. Open drains (OR = 2.3; 95% CI = 1.3-4.2; P <.005) and surgery that lasted 90 or more minutes (OR = 2.9; 95% CI = 1.6-5.1; P <.001) were associated with infection.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our rates are greater than comparable reported data among children. Duration of surgery and use of open drains were associated with SSI.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Cirugía, Hospital Infantil de México Federico Gómez.
authors.forename: Juan D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Porras-Hernández
authors.forename: Diana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Vilar-Compte
authors.forename: Miguel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cashat-Cruz
authors.forename: Ricardo M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Ordorica-Flores
authors.forename: Eduardo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bracho-Blanchet
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Avila-Figueroa
mesh_terms: D002675:Child, Preschool; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006776:Hospitals, Pediatric / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006784:Hospitals, Teaching / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006786:Hospitals, Urban / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008800:Mexico / Q000453:epidemiology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D018571:Sentinel Surveillance; D013514:Surgical Procedures, Operative / Q000009:adverse effects; D013530:Surgical Wound Infection / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control