title: Neurosurgical wound infection at a university hospital in Egypt; prospective study of 1,181 patients for 2 years.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study is to report the incidence rate of neurosurgical wound infection at our university as well as the predisposing risk factors.
  
  
  METHODS
  A 2-year hospital prospective study was conducted and included 1110 patients underwent 1181 elective neurosurgical procedures, 50.3% were male. The ages ranged between 4 days and 80 year with mean age of 33.9 ± 19.679. Instrumental spinal devices were applied in 189 (16%) of patients, and 114 (9.7%) underwent shunt surgery, while aneurysmal clips were used in 5 patients only. The mean duration of follow up was 17.46 ± 3.49 months.
  
  
  RESULTS
  41 patients suffered surgical wound infection representing 3.47 % of the patients. Staphylococcus aureus was the commonest organism in 10 (24.39%) patients followed by the E.coli in 5 (12.19%) patients, while the culture revealed no growth in 14 (34.14%) patients. 25 patients have one or more risk factors of wound infection. 28 cases were treated surgically and 13 patients received conservative treatment. 34 wound infections occurred early during hospitalization, while 7 patients had late wound infection. We have two death-related infection from meningitis and sever septicemia.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The neurosurgical wound infection rate is usually low even in developing countries and remains within the accepted rate.
authors.affiliation: Zagazig University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Neurosurgery, Zagazig, Egypt.
authors.forename: Mahmoud M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Taha
authors.forename: Safwat
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Abouhashem
authors.forename: Ahamad Y
authors.initials: AY
authors.lastname: Abdel-Rahman
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D019072:Antibiotic Prophylaxis; D002557:Cerebrospinal Fluid Shunts; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003399:Craniotomy; D004534:Egypt / Q000453:epidemiology; D004927:Escherichia coli Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D002532:Intracranial Aneurysm / Q000601:surgery; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019635:Neurosurgical Procedures; D010523:Peripheral Nervous System Diseases / Q000601:surgery; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D013131:Spine / Q000601:surgery; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D013530:Surgical Wound Infection / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000401:mortality; D055815:Young Adult