title: Surgical site infections in women and their association with clinical conditions.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Surgical site infections (SSIs) can affect body tissues, cavities, or organs manipulated in surgery and constitute 14% to 16% of all infections. This study aimed to determine the incidence of SSIs in women following their discharge from a gynecology outpatient clinic, to survey different types of SSIs among women, and to verify the association of SSIs with comorbidities and clinical conditions.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data were collected via analytical observation with a cross-sectional design, and the study was conducted in 1,026 women who underwent gynecological surgery in a teaching hospital in the municipality of Teresina, in the northeast Brazilian State of Piauí, from June 2011 to March 2013.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The incidence of SSIs after discharge was 5.8% among the women in the outpatient clinic. The most prevalent surgery among the patients was hysterectomy, while the most prevalent type of SSI was superficial incisional. Comorbidities in women with SSIs included cancer, diabetes mellitus, and hypertension.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Surveillance of SSIs during the post-discharge period is critical for infection prevention and control. It is worth reflecting on the planning of surgical procedures for patients who have risk factors for the development of SSIs.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Enfermagem, Centro de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Piauí, Teresina, PI, Brasil.
authors.forename: Maria Zélia de Araújo
authors.initials: MZ
authors.lastname: Madeira
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Clínica Médica, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, SP, BRAZIL.
authors.forename: Plínio
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Trabasso
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007902:Length of Stay; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D013530:Surgical Wound Infection / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology