title: Surgical site infection in a university hospital in northeast Brazil.
abstract: We examined prevention of surgical site infection (SSI) in a tertiary teaching hospital in northeast Brazil, from January 1994 to December 2003. The survey included 5,742 patients subjected to thoracic, urologic, vascular and general surgery. The criteria for diagnosing SSI were those of the Centers for Disease Control, USA, and the variables of the National Nosocomial Infection Surveillance risk index were used. Data analysis revealed that anesthetic risk scores, wound class and duration of surgery were significantly associated with SSI. A total of 296 SSIs were detected among the 5,742 patients (5.1%). The overall incidence of SSI was 8.8% in 1994; it decreased to 3.3% in 2003. In conclusion, the use of educational strategies, based on guidelines for SSI prevention reduced SSI incidence. Appropriate management of preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative incision care, and a surveillance system based on international criteria, were useful in reducing SSI rates in our hospital.
authors.affiliation: Postgraduate Program in Health Sciences, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN), Natal, RN, Brazil. aldo@ufrnet.br
authors.forename: Aldo Cunha
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Medeiros
authors.forename: Tertuliano
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Aires-Neto
authors.forename: George Dantas
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Azevedo
authors.forename: Maria José Pereira
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Vilar
authors.forename: Laíza Araújo Mohana
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Pinheiro
authors.forename: José
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Brandão-Neto
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D005260:Female; D006785:Hospitals, University; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D017053:Infection Control / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011159:Population Surveillance; D012307:Risk Factors; D013530:Surgical Wound Infection / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control