title: 'Epidemiology of surgical site infection in a neurosurgery department'.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To know the rates of infection of the surgical wound in the Department of Neurosurgery between 2011 and 2014.
  
  
  METHODS
  An observational, prospective study was conducted of the rates of surgical wound infection among patients admitted for more than 48 h to the Neurosurgery Department of a tertiary-level university hospital between July 2011 and December 2014.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The study surveyed a total of 536 surgical procedures performed in 521 patients. The rate of diagnosed surgical site infection (SSI) was 4.85% (26 infections), below the established acceptable threshold of 5%. Of these, 65.38% were organ-space infections, 30.77% deep infections, and 7.69% superficial infections. Infection rates for each type of surgical procedure were 4.35% for spinal fusion, 0.00% for refusion of spine, 2.08% for laminectomy, 5.95% for ventricular shunt, and 5.14% for craniotomy. Antibiotic prophylaxis was evaluated as suitable in 80.22% of surgical procedures.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Infection rates were lower when the surgery was elective, clean, the patient had a lower ASA, and when suitable antimicrobial prophylaxis was administered. The rate of suitable antimicrobial prophylaxis shows that there is room for improvement. In order to minimize the risk of surgical wound infection, all professionals involved in patient care need to know and apply current recommendations, especially those relating to proper hand hygiene and suitable antibiotic prophylaxis.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Preventive Medicine , Ramon y Cajal University Hospital , Madrid , Spain.|b Ramon y Cajal Institute of Research (IRYCIS) , Madrid , Spain.
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: López Pereira
authors.affiliation: a Department of Preventive Medicine , Ramon y Cajal University Hospital , Madrid , Spain.|b Ramon y Cajal Institute of Research (IRYCIS) , Madrid , Spain.
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Díaz-Agero Pérez
authors.affiliation: a Department of Preventive Medicine , Ramon y Cajal University Hospital , Madrid , Spain.|b Ramon y Cajal Institute of Research (IRYCIS) , Madrid , Spain.
authors.forename: Nieves
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: López Fresneña
authors.affiliation: a Department of Preventive Medicine , Ramon y Cajal University Hospital , Madrid , Spain.|b Ramon y Cajal Institute of Research (IRYCIS) , Madrid , Spain.
authors.forename: Julio
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Las Heras Mosteiro
authors.affiliation: a Department of Preventive Medicine , Ramon y Cajal University Hospital , Madrid , Spain.|b Ramon y Cajal Institute of Research (IRYCIS) , Madrid , Spain.
authors.forename: Aurelio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Palancar Cabrera
authors.affiliation: a Department of Preventive Medicine , Ramon y Cajal University Hospital , Madrid , Spain.|b Ramon y Cajal Institute of Research (IRYCIS) , Madrid , Spain.
authors.forename: Ángela Lourdes
authors.initials: ÁL
authors.lastname: Rincón Carlavilla
authors.affiliation: a Department of Preventive Medicine , Ramon y Cajal University Hospital , Madrid , Spain.|b Ramon y Cajal Institute of Research (IRYCIS) , Madrid , Spain.
authors.forename: Jesús María
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Aranaz Andrés
mesh_terms: D019072:Antibiotic Prophylaxis; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003399:Craniotomy; D005260:Female; D006785:Hospitals, University; D006801:Humans; D007796:Laminectomy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019635:Neurosurgical Procedures; D011446:Prospective Studies; D015424:Reperfusion; D013123:Spinal Fusion / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000453:epidemiology; D013212:Staphylococcus epidermidis; D013503:Surgery Department, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013530:Surgical Wound Infection / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D017287:Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt
keywords: Neurosurgery; incidence; infection control; surgical-site infection; surveillance