Surgical site infections at the National Cancer Institute in Mexico: a case-control study

OBJECTIVES: To quantify the surgical infection rate and to identify risk factors associated with surgical site infection. METHODS: We conducted a case-control study of all surgical patients between January 1, 1993, and June 30, 1994. The frequency of surgical site infection per 100 surgeries was calculated. The odds ratio (OR) was estimated by using logistic regression analysis. SETTING: A 130-bed tertiary-care teaching hospital for adult patients with cancer. RESULTS: The study followed 3372 surgeries. Three hundred thirteen patients had a surgical site infection (rate per 100 surgeries: 9. 30). The risk factors associated with surgical site infection were diabetes mellitus (OR = 2.5, 95% confidence interval CI] = 1.27-4. 91), obesity (OR = 1.76, 95% CI = 1.14-2.7), presence of surgical drains for >5 and <16 days (OR = 1.84, 95% CI = 1.02-3.31), and presence of surgical drains for >/=16 days (OR = 2.14, 95% CI = 1. 0-4.6). The bacteria most frequently isolated were Escherichia coli 38 (21.8% of the total of microorganisms found), Pseudomonas sp 22 (12.6%), Staphylococcus aureus 16 (9.2%), and coagulase-negative Staphylococcus 25 (13.6%). The coexistence of other nosocomial infections was greater among the cases (OR = 1.8, 95% CI = 1.1-3.1) than in the control group. CONCLUSIONS: The surgical site infection rate in our hospital is slightly higher than the rates reported for general hospitals. The risk factors associated with surgical site infection are similar to those previously reported. Diabetes mellitus, obesity, and prolonged presence of a surgical drain increased the risk of infection.