Prognosticators of surgical site infections (SSIs) among patients undergoing major surgery at general hospital Funtua, Katsina State, Nigeria

This study explores the prognosticators of surgical site infection among studied group. Surgical site infection (SSI) continues to be a major source of morbidity and mortality in developing countries regardless of modern advances in aseptic techniques. Therefore it was essential to conduct this study to determine the prognosticators of surgical site infection at General Hospital Funtua, Katsina State, Nigeria.

A descriptive cross sectional study was used involving all subjects who underwent major surgery in surgical wards. A non- probability purposive sampling technique was employed to recruit the total sample size of one hundred and twenty seven (127). After informed written consent for the study , all subjects who met inclusion criteria were successively enrolled in to the study. Pre-operative, intra-operative and postoperative data were collected using standardized data collection form based on CDC/WHO criteria. Wound specimens were collected and processed as per standard operative procedure. Data were analysed using SPSS and STATA software.

Using odds ratio analysis, inadequate operating room ventilation and surgical hand scrub for < 2 minutes were found to have an increased risk for SSI by 34, fold. Subjects within the age limit between 21-30 years have increased risk for SSI by 2 fold, and subjects with co-existing illness (fever), have an increased risk for SSI by 4 fold, OR (3.9). Sterilization technique by the use of high level disinfectant and pre morbidity has been found to be an independent prognosticator of SSI, P-valve < 0.05.

The study concluded that prognosticators for surgical site infections are associated with modifiable risk factors that the surgeons, nursing staffs and hospital management can dealt with in a greater details. Prevention strategies focusing on factors associated with surgical site infection is necessary in order to reduce the rate of SSI in our setting.