[Surveillance of the course of 6030 surgical wounds]

This report describes a 4-year prospective study of post-operative wound infections, utilizing a program of wound surveillance. Surgical wounds after 6030 operations of a general surgery service were surveyed by the authors and a specialist nurse, daily, and in the follow-up clinic for 30 days. The rates of infections showed a decline over the years of surveillance. On the first year there was a 6.37 per cent incidence of infections, and the fourth year, of 4.7 per cent. This represented an improvement in hospitalization days and expenses.