Surveillance for postoperative wound infections: practical aspects

Intensive surveillance for postoperative wound infections was conducted for one month on three separate occasions at the Veterans Administration Hospital, West Haven, Connecticut. The mean wound infection rates for clean, clean-contaminated, contaminated, and dirty wounds were 6, 11, 17 and 18%, respectively. During the second survey, the clean-contaminated rate was 25% and was significantly higher than at other periods (p less than 0.05). Most of these infections occurred on a single surgical subspecialty service. The methods used to conduct intensive wound surveillance and the need for close liaison between the infection control team and the surgical service is emphasized. Current problems with wound surveillance are reviewed.