Surgical Site Infection
What is a surgical site infection?
A surgical site infection is an infection that happens in the incision or deep tissue around the surgical site, within 30 days of surgery. There is a risk of infection after any surgery. There are things that can increase your risk of getting a surgical site infection.
Patient factors are:
- Age.
- Overall health
- Nutritional status.
- Alcohol or tobacco use.
- Other health issues (such as diabetes, vascular disease, and type of cancer).
- Medications that the patient takes.
Surgical factors are:
- Type of surgery.
- Area of the body.
- Surgical technique.
- Use of antibiotics before the surgery to prevent infection.
How can you prevent a surgical site infection?
There are ways to prevent surgical infection:
- Tell your surgeon and care team if you have diabetes. Maintaining a normal blood sugar is important to prevent infection.
- Tell your surgeon and care team about all medications you are taking and the reason.
- Follow the instructions your care team has given you on how to bathe before your procedure.
- Keep warm before and after surgery. Wear warm clothes and wrap in blankets before and after surgery. Body temperature has a big influence on the risk of infection after surgery. The surgical team will keep you warm during the procedure.
- If you are prescribed antibiotics to take before surgery, take them as told.
- Wash your hands before touching the wound or changing dressings.
What are the signs of a surgical site infection?
- Redness, swelling, new pain, or tenderness at the surgical site.
- Fever. Your care team will tell you at what temperature you should call them.
- Pus, foul odor, or new drainage from the surgical site (drainage immediately after surgery is normal).
- A surgical wound that reopens.
When should I call my care team?
If you have any of the signs of infection listed above, call your care team right away.