A prospective study of postoperative surgical site infections in dogs and cats.
OBJECTIVE
To assess postoperative surgical site infection (SSI) rate and to identify associated predictive factors.


METHODS
Prospective clinical study.


METHODS
Dogs and cats that had surgery (1010 interventions) during 58 weeks from April 1999 to June 2000.


METHODS
Data sheets were completed by clinicians. Patients were controlled for clinical evidence of SSI at suture removal. Two definitions of SSI ("infection" and "infection/inflammation") were developed specifically for this study and used for statistical analysis. Logistic regression models were built in order to identify significant predictive factors for SSI.


RESULTS
Wounds with "infection/inflammation" occurred in 5.8% and "infected" wounds in 3% of patients. The outcome "infection" was associated with 3 major risk factors (duration of surgery, increasing number of persons in the operating room, dirty surgical site) and 1 protective factor (antimicrobial prophylaxis). The outcome "infection/inflammation" was associated with 6 significant factors (duration of anesthesia, duration of postoperative intensive care unit stay, wound drainage, increasing patient weight, dirty surgical site, and antimicrobial prophylaxis).


CONCLUSIONS
SSI frequency in companion animals is comparable with the frequency observed in human surgical patients. Several significant predictive factors for SSI in small animals surgery were identified.


CONCLUSIONS
Baseline information for SSI surveillance in our hospital and for comparison with other studies was defined. The factors identified may help to predict infections in surgical patients and to take adequate preventive measures for patients at risk.
Eugster
Simone
S
Division of Surgery, Companion Animal Hospital, Department for Clinical Veterinary Medicine, Bern, Switzerland.
Schawalder
Peter
P
Gaschen
Frédéric
F
Boerlin
Patrick
P
D000818:Animals; D002371:Cat Diseases / Q000601:surgery; D002415:Cats; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000662:veterinary*; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000601:surgery; D004285:Dogs; D005260:Female; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D013530:Surgical Wound Infection / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000662:veterinary*; D013557:Switzerland / Q000453:epidemiology