Surgical Site Infections

Introduction

Surgical site infections (SSIs) are associated with prolonged hospital stay, increased morbidity and mortality, increased treatment cost and frustration for medical caregivers and pet owners, alike. Although currently an infrequent complication in small animal surgery, the incidence may be increasing as many pet owners are having advanced surgical procedures performed in older animals with severe metabolic and immunological compromise. Furthermore, the rise of antimicrobial resistance has rendered standard SSI prophylaxis mechanisms less effective.

Definitions

It is important to standardize definitions of SSIs to allow for objective identification and future comparative evaluations. While standard definitions for SSI do not exist, the United States Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention has developed a system for defining SSIs in humans, and can readily be applied to veterinary patients (Table 1). Even though this definition system allows for subjective diagnosis of SSIs by the attending clinician, it is recommended that a wound sample be obtained in all cases for bacterial culture and sensitivity to guide antimicrobial treatment. [...]