Comparative study of wound infection between elective and emergency abdominal surgeries: a retrospective cohort study

The objective of this study was to determine the frequency of wound infection among patients with abdominal surgeries and to compare the surgical site infection following elective versus emergency abdominal surgeries in a tertiary care hospital.

All patients who fulfilled the inclusion criteria in the Department of General Surgery were included in the study. After taking informed written consent history was taken, clinical examination and patients were divided into two groups: group A (elective abdominal surgery) and group B (emergency abdominal surgery), patients in both groups were compared for the outcome that is surgical site infection.

A total of 140 patients who underwent abdominal surgery were included. Wound infection in abdominal surgeries was noted in 26 patients (18.6%), in group A wound infection was noted in 7 (5%), while in group B wound infection was seen in 19 (13.6%).

The rate of wound infection in patients with abdominal surgeries was not low among the study population and the rate of wound infection was higher in emergency abdominal surgeries as compared with elective abdominal surgeries.