Methamphetamine Use is Associated with Increased Surgical Site Infections after Trauma Laparotomy

Area of Science:

• Trauma Surgery
• Infectious Diseases
• Substance Abuse Research

Background:

• Methamphetamine (METH) use can cause vasoconstriction and alter immune responses, potentially leading to poor wound healing and post-operative complications.
• These physiological effects may predispose METH users to increased surgical complications.
• The study aimed to investigate the impact of METH use on surgical outcomes in trauma patients.

Purpose of the Study:

• To test the hypothesis that METH users experience longer hospital stays and higher complication rates post-trauma laparotomy.
• To compare post-operative outcomes between METH-positive and METH-negative patients undergoing exploratory laparotomy.
• To identify specific complications associated with METH use in trauma patients.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective review of the trauma registry at an urban Level 1 trauma center from 2016 to 2019.
• Identified 204 patients who underwent exploratory laparotomy, with 52 (25.5%) testing positive for METH.
• Compared length of stay, ventilator days, injury severity, and infectious complication rates using appropriate statistical tests.

Main Results:

• METH-positive patients had a significantly higher incidence of surgical site infections (7.4% vs. 0%, P = 0.001).
• No significant differences were observed in hospital length of stay, ICU length of stay, ventilator days, injury severity score, or mortality between METH users and non-users.
• Rates of other infectious complications were similar between the two groups.

Conclusions:

• Methamphetamine use is linked to a higher risk of surgical site infections following trauma laparotomy.
• The study found no increased risk of other severe complications or mortality associated with METH use in this patient population.
• Findings highlight the importance of monitoring for surgical site infections in METH-using trauma patients.