Auerbach (2001) found that, in Western countries including Canada, 2–5% of clean cases and up to 20% of intra-abdominal surgeries will develop a surgical site infection. According to Kirkland et al. (1999), infected surgical patients are twice as likely to die, spend 60% more time in the intensive care unit, and are five times more likely to be readmitted to hospital after initial discharge.
Let’s take action.
Reduce SSIs with these four components of care:
Perioperative antimicrobial coverage
Appropriate hair removal
Maintenance of perioperative glucose control
Perioperative normothermia
Download the Getting Started Kit to learn more.
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