Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology · 1982 · 88 citations · 24 references
MedicineInfectious Disease ControlSurgeryDisease PreventionInfection PreventionSurgical InstrumentationHealthcare-associated Infection PreventionInfection ManagementNosocomial InfectionsSurgical ProphylaxisSurgical Site InfectionWound InfectionHigh-risk Surgical PatientsHospital Infection PreventionInfection Prevention After SurgeryNosocomial Infection SurveillanceNosocomial Respiratory InfectionsSurveillance Of Nosocomial Infections
Patients who undergo a surgical operation are at high risk of having one or more nosocomial infections. These infections develop in more surgical patients (8%) than in any other patient group, and about 70% of all nosocomial infections throughout the hospital develop in patients who have an operation. Most infections in surgical patients, however, are not related to the wound but to instrumentation of the urinary and respiratory tracts. Thus, personnel who take care of these patients should be aware of measures to prevent nosocomial infections at all sites. Moreover, to prevent surgical wound infections, personnel who perform the operation must take the lead in instituting prevention measures, because the most important measures involve use of good surgical technique and are not easily instituted simply by making changes in hospital policy.
24