Failure to detect a general reduction of surgical wound infections in Danish hospitals

The aim of this study was to see if introduction of continuous monitoring of the incidence of surgical wound infections would result in a reduction in the cumulated infection rates. Data from a Danish sentinel system, including more than 65,000 operations, are shown to be sufficiently representative to be used as the basis of a national surveillance system for surgical wound infections. The overall infection rates increased with age and with contamination of the wound. Antibiotic prophylaxis was used in 36% of the operations, with a higher fraction among elderly patients, and in contaminated or major operations. The length of stay was significantly and equally extended for patients with superficial or deep infections, compared to patients without wound infections. The results from 13 departments could be followed at least two years from the beginning of the registration. No general preventive effects of the continuous monitoring were found in these surgical units.