title: Hospital infection after major amputations.
abstract: The aim of the current study was to evaluate the prevalence of stump infections after major amputations of the lower extremities. Patients rehospitalized in Hospital de Base of the Medicine School in São José do Rio Preto in the period from January 2005 to January 2007 due to stump infection after major amputations of lower extremities were evaluated in a retrospective study. All the patients underwent prophylactic antibiotic therapy at the time of the surgery. The Fisher exact test was utilized for statistical analysis with an alpha error of 5% (p-value < 0.05) being considered acceptable.A total of 231 patients were submitted to major amputations during this period and 17 (7.3%) were rehospitalized due to amputation stump infections of which 5 (29.4%) died within one month. The association between death due to stump infection and other causes of death during rehospitalizations was not significant (Fisher exact test: p < 0.1). However, death during rehospitalizations was significantly higher than in the initial hospitalization.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology and Cardiovascular Surgery, Medicine School of São José do Rio Preto-FAMERP and Research CNPq (National Council for Research and Development), Brazil. godoyjmp@riopreto.com.br
authors.forename: José Maria Pereira
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: de Godoy
authors.forename: Janalice Vasconcelos
authors.initials: JV
authors.lastname: Ribeiro
authors.forename: Lívia Andrioli
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Caracanhas
authors.forename: Maria de Fátima Guerreiro
authors.initials: Mde F
authors.lastname: Godoy
mesh_terms: D000671:Amputation, Surgical / Q000009:adverse effects*; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D019072:Antibiotic Prophylaxis / Q000379:methods; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality; D006801:Humans; D035002:Lower Extremity / Q000473:pathology; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013530:Surgical Wound Infection / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents