Surgical site infections following elective surgery

Contribution of the patient microbiome to surgical site infection and antibiotic prophylaxis failure in spine surgery

Despite modern antiseptic techniques, surgical site infection (SSI) remains a leading complication of surgery. However, the origins of SSI and the high rates of antimicrobial resistance observed in these infections are poorly understood. Using instrumented spine surgery as a model of clean (class I) skin incision, we prospectively sampled preoperative microbiomes and postoperative SSI isolates in a cohort of 204 patients. Combining multiple forms of genomic analysis, we correlated the identity, anatomic distribution, and antimicrobial resistance profiles of SSI pathogens with those of preoperative strains obtained from the patient skin microbiome. We found that 86% of SSIs, comprising a broad range of bacterial species, originated endogenously from preoperative strains, with no evidence of common source infection among a superset of 1610 patients. Most SSI isolates (59%) were resistant to the prophylactic antibiotic administered during surgery, and their resistance phenotypes correlated with the patient's preoperative resistome (P = 0.0002). These findings indicate the need for SSI prevention strategies tailored to the preoperative microbiome and resistome present in individual patients.

Human Wound and Its Burden: Updated 2020 Compendium of Estimates

Significance: Chronic wounds impact the quality of life (QoL) of nearly 2.5% of the total population in the United States and the management of wounds has a significant economic impact on health care. Given the aging population, the continued threat of diabetes and obesity worldwide, and the persistent problem of infection, it is expected that chronic wounds will continue to be a substantial clinical, social, and economic challenge. In 2020, the coronavirus disease (COVID) pandemic dramatically disrupted health care worldwide, including wound care. A chronic nonhealing wound (CNHW) is typically correlated with comorbidities such as diabetes, vascular deficits, hypertension, and chronic kidney disease. These risk factors make persons with CNHW at high risk for severe, sometimes lethal outcomes if infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (pathogen causing COVID-19). The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted several aspects of the wound care continuum, including compliance with wound care visits, prompting alternative approaches (use of telemedicine and creation of videos to help with wound dressing changes among others), and encouraging a do-it-yourself wound dressing protocol and use of homemade remedies/substitutions. Recent Advances: There is a developing interest in understanding how the social determinants of health impact the QoL and outcomes of wound care patients. Furthermore, addressing wound care in the light of the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of telemedicine options in the continuum of care. Future Directions: The economic, clinical, and social impact of wounds continues to rise and requires appropriate investment and a structured approach to wound care, education, and related research.