title: Incidence of surgical-site infections in orthopaedic surgery: a northern Italian experience.
abstract: SUMMARYA prospective cohort study with a 1-year telephone follow-up was performed to estimate the incidence of surgical-site infections (SSIs) in hip and knee prostheses. Twenty-five public hospitals equipped with orthopaedic units in two Italian regions were involved. An 8-month surveillance period was set to obtain significant data at a regional level and data were collected by the infection control nurses of each centre. One-year follow-up was completed in 75% of cases. SSIs were recorded in 45 cases (incidence rate 1·9/100 person-years, 95% CI 1·4-2·5). Thirty-six percent of SSIs were diagnosed during hospitalization and 95·3% within 90 days post-operation. This incidence is similar to that reported by European and USA surveillance systems. The proposed investigative method proved to be reliable and feasible. A prolonged surveillance for at least 3 months post-operation yields a good estimate of SSI in joint replacements.
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health and Microbiology, University of Torino, Italy.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Castella
authors.forename: P A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Argentero
authors.forename: E C
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Farina
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Charrier
authors.forename: E M Brach
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Del Prever
authors.forename: C M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Zotti
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006621:Hip Joint / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D007719:Knee Joint / Q000601:surgery; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019637:Orthopedic Procedures / Q000009:adverse effects*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D016459:Prosthesis-Related Infections / Q000453:epidemiology*; D013530:Surgical Wound Infection / Q000453:epidemiology*