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Risk factors for wound infection after minor surgery in general practice
Clare Heal1, Petra Buettner, Sheldon Browning
1James Cook University, Mackay, QLD, Australia. clarshel@hotmail.com
Objective:
To determine the incidence of and risk factors for surgical site infections in general practice.
Design:
Prospective, observational study of patients presenting for minor excisions.
Setting:
Primary care in a regional centre, Queensland, October 2004 to May 2005.
Participants:
857 patients were assessed for infection.
Results:
The overall incidence of infection was 8.6% (95% CI, 3.5%-13.8%). Excisions from lower legs and feet (P = 0.009) or thighs (P = 0.005), excisions of basal cell carcinoma (P = 0.006) or squamous cell carcinoma (P = 0.002), and diabetes (P < 0.001) were independent risk factors for wound infection.
Conclusion:
Our results indicate the high-risk groups for surgery in a general practice setting, such as people with diabetes and those undergoing excision of a non-melanocytic skin cancer or excision from a lower limb. Recognition of these groups could encourage more judicial use of prophylactic antibiotics and use of other interventions aimed at reducing infection rates.
Insights
Surgical site infections occurred in 8.6% of patients undergoing minor excisions. Diabetes and excisions on lower limbs or of non-melanocytic skin cancers were identified as key risk factors for infection.
Area of Science:
- General Practice
- Dermatology
- Infectious Disease
Background:
- Surgical site infections (SSIs) are a significant concern in primary care settings.
- Identifying risk factors for SSIs is crucial for implementing targeted prevention strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the incidence of surgical site infections (SSIs) in general practice.
- To identify independent risk factors associated with SSIs in patients undergoing minor excisions.
Main Methods:
- Prospective, observational study conducted in a regional primary care center.
- Involved assessment of 857 patients presenting for minor skin excisions between October 2004 and May 2005.
Main Results:
- The overall incidence of SSIs was 8.6%.
- Independent risk factors for wound infection included excisions from lower legs/feet or thighs, basal cell carcinoma or squamous cell carcinoma excisions, and diabetes.
- Diabetes was a highly significant independent risk factor (P < 0.001).
Conclusions:
- Patients with diabetes and those undergoing excisions of non-melanocytic skin cancers or from lower limbs represent high-risk groups for SSIs in general practice.
- Recognition of these high-risk groups may facilitate more judicious use of prophylactic antibiotics and other infection-reducing interventions.
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