title: Postcesarean wound infection: prevalence, impact, prevention, and management challenges.
abstract: Surgical site infection (SSI) is one of the most common complications following cesarean section, and has an incidence of 3%-15%. It places physical and emotional burdens on the mother herself and a significant financial burden on the health care system. Moreover, SSI is associated with a maternal mortality rate of up to 3%. With the global increase in cesarean section rate, it is expected that the occurrence of SSI will increase in parallel, hence its clinical significance. Given its substantial implications, recognizing the consequences and developing strategies to diagnose, prevent, and treat SSI are essential for reducing postcesarean morbidity and mortality. Optimization of maternal comorbidities, appropriate antibiotic prophylaxis, and evidence-based surgical techniques are some of the practices proven to be effective in reducing the incidence of SSI. In this review, we describe the biological mechanism of SSI and risk factors for its occurrence and summarize recent key clinical trials investigating preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative practices to reduce SSI incidence. It is prudent that the surgical team who perform cesarean sections be familiar with these practices and apply them as needed to minimize maternal morbidity and mortality related to SSI.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Emek Medical Center, Afula.
authors.forename: Sivan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zuarez-Easton
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Emek Medical Center, Afula; Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel.
authors.forename: Noah
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Zafran
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Emek Medical Center, Afula; Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel.
authors.forename: Gali
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Garmi
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Emek Medical Center, Afula; Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel.
authors.forename: Raed
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Salim
keywords: cesarean section; management; surgical site infection