title: Incidence and Etiology of Surgical Site Infections in Appendectomies: A 3-Year Prospective Study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Surgical site infections (SSIs) constitute a threat, especially in complicated appendicitis, and are commonly due to gram-negative organisms. We sought to describe the incidence of SSIs in appendectomies performed during a three-year period (January 2013 to December 2015) in a community hospital in Qatar, and compare this with external benchmarks.
  
  
  METHODS
  We conducted a longitudinal study at The Cuban Hospital, Qatar. We used the standardized surveillance criteria to define SSI developed by the Centers for Disease Control. Information about age, sex, smoking habits, diabetes mellitus status, body mass index, and the result of bacteriologic studies were collected.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of a total 603 patients, 22 (3.6%) cases of SSI were reported, with an infection rate of 13.6%, 4.5%, and 1.0% in 2013, 2014, and 2015, respectively. SSIs were observed more frequently in patients with contaminated/dirty wounds (6.6%). About 65% of isolates from the surgical site were multidrug-resistant organisms (Escherichia coliandKlebsiella spp.).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study describes the incidence of SSI in appendectomy, which could be used as a benchmark for the facility improvement program. The high frequency of multidrug-resistant organisms in SSIs requires additional studies focused on evaluating the effectiveness of the current preventive practices with a particular reference to antimicrobial prophylaxis.
authors.affiliation: Infection Control Department, The Cuban Hospital, Hamad Medical Corporation, Qatar.
authors.forename: Humberto Guanche
authors.initials: HG
authors.lastname: Garcell
authors.affiliation: Infection Control Department, The Cuban Hospital, Hamad Medical Corporation, Qatar.
authors.forename: Ariadna Villanueva
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Arias
authors.affiliation: Surgical Department, The Cuban Hospital, Hamad Medical Corporation, Qatar.
authors.forename: Cristobal A Pancorbo
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Sandoval
authors.affiliation: Microbiologic Section, The Cuban Hospital, Hamad Medical Corporation, Qatar.
authors.forename: Elias Guilarte
authors.initials: EG
authors.lastname: García
authors.affiliation: Surgical Department, The Cuban Hospital, Hamad Medical Corporation, Qatar.
authors.forename: Moraima E Valle
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Gamboa
authors.affiliation: Surgical Department, The Cuban Hospital, Hamad Medical Corporation, Qatar.
authors.forename: Adam Bode
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Sado
authors.affiliation: Surgical Department, The Cuban Hospital, Hamad Medical Corporation, Qatar.
authors.forename: Ramón N Alfonso
authors.initials: RN
authors.lastname: Serrano
keywords: Appendectomy; Etiology; Incidence; Qatar; Surgical Site Infection