Prevalence of Surgical Site Infection in a Nigerian University Teaching Hospital

Abstract

Surgical Site Infection (SSI) is a serious complication that limits the benefits of surgical interventions. It is a serious problem globally and particularly in Africa and other developing countries where inadequate resources and skilled personnel among others are contributing to the acquisition and spread of this infection. This study determined the prevalence of SSI and antibiotics susceptibility pattern of surgical site pathogens at a University teaching hospital in Abuja, Nigeria. Medical records of 729 and 825 patients operated and discharged in the year 2013 and 2014 respectively were examined for documentation of SSI based on Centre for Disease Control (CDC) criteria. In the year 2013 and 2014, the prevalence of SSI was found to be 15.6% and 13.58% respectively. In the two years, Staphylococcus aureus was the most prevalent pathogen causing SSI. This was followed by E. coli in 2013 and Klebsiella spp in 2014. In the two years, majority of the isolates were found to be resistant to the commonly used antibiotics in the hospital. The high SSI prevalence rate observed in this study calls for urgent review of infection control policies of the hospital.