Etiology of surgical site infections at the orthopaedic trauma units

Objectives: The aim of the study was to analyze the epidemiological and microbiological analysis of surgical site infections in the orthopedic wards. Materials and methods: A 6-month prospective cohort study was conducted at the major teaching hospital in Belgrade. Patient's basic demographic data and data about surgical site infections were collected. Bacteria cultured from the surgical site were also analyzed. Results: A total of 277 patients operated in the Institute of Orthopedics and trauma surgery, Clinical Center of Serbia. Sixty-three cases of SSI were detected, and the overall incidence rate was 22.7% (95% IP=17.8- 27.6). Fifty-three (84.1%) SSIs had microbiological confirmation and overall 82 bacterial strains were isolated. The most frequent isolated bacteria were Staphylococcus aureus, Acinetobacter sp, Klebsiella pp, Pseudomonas sp and Enterococcus sp. Nineteen (79.2%) strains of Staphylococcus aureus isolated from infected surgical sites were meticillin- resistant. Conclusion: This study suggests that it is necessary to maintain continuous surveillance of surgical site infections. It is important to emphasize the need for implementation the measures of contact isolation in order to prevent the nosocomial transmission of resistant bacteria.