An Outbreak of Surgical Site Infections in A Neurosurgical Ward

Objective To survey an outbreak of surgical site infections in a neurosurgery ward of a tertiary hospital. Methods The patients of surgical site infection were investigated individually based on a uniformly designed epidemiological survey form. The distribution of cases was analyzed by characteristic epidemiology,and a case-control study was carried to explore the risk factors. Results A total of 9 patients with surgical site infections from February 5 to March 7,2014 were identified in 68 patients who had received surgery in a neurosurgery ward,yielding a prevalence of 13.24%. The infections occurred in 7 of 14 patients who had used surgicel,a hemostatic agent,and in 2 of 54 patients who had not used surgicel. (χ²=16.637,P<0.001). Conclusion The use of surgicel may be the cause of this surgical site infection outbreak.