A Retrospective Cohort Study of Risk Factors for Surgical Site Infection Following Lung Transplant

Surgical site infections (SSIs) are among the leading health care-associated infections as well as a major problem in the postoperative period of lung transplant recipients. Little is known about the risk factors in this specific population. The objective of this study was to identify the incidence, risk factors, and outcomes of SSI following lung transplant.

Digital medical records of adult recipients subjected to lung transplant from July 2011 and June 2016 in a large Brazilian referral teaching public center were analyzed in this retrospective cohort follow-up.

Among the 121 recipients analyzed, 19 (15.7%) had SSI; of these, 11 (57.8%) had superficial incisional infections, 1 (5.2%) had a deep incisional infection, and 7 (36.8%) had organ/space infection. Recipient-related risk factors for SSI were high body mass index (P = .041), prolonged surgery time (P = .043), and prolonged duration of chest drain placement (P = .009). At the multiple logistic regression was found that each hour elapsed in the surgical time increased the odds of SSI by around 2 times (odds ratio 2.34; 95% CI, 1.46-4.53; P = .002). Donor-related risk factors included smoking status (P = .05) and positive bronchoalveolar lavage (P < .001). Having an SSI was associated with an increased length of stay in intensive care units (P = .003), reoperation (P = .014), and a higher 1-year mortality rate (P = .02).

The identified incidence rate was higher to that observed in the previous studies. The risk factors duration of chest tube placement and donor smoking status are different from those reported in the scientific literature.