Determinants of Wound Infection After Colon Surgery

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Abstract
Over 54 mo., every patient undergoing colon surgery at the Hadassah University Hospital in Jerusalem [Israel] was followed up prospectively by the same nurse epidemiologist; 403 patients completed the analysis. Risk factors for postoperative wound infection were explored in an epidemiological study, using single and multivariate analysis. Of the 13 potential risk factors investigated, the 4 showing the highest association with wound infection were: the performance of > 1 operation during a single admission; Arab ethnicity; the use of open drains; and the performance of a colostomy. In patients undergoing > 1 operation, the risk for infection was greater if the 2nd operation followed a surgical complication than if it was performed as an elective 2nd procedure; whether the 1st operation was elective or not did not affect the infection rate. Second operations performed within 7 days of the 1st carried a higher risk for infection than those performed later. The different prophylactic protocols used did not have an independently significant contribution to the risk of infection.