Assessing the relative burden of hospital-acquired infections in a network of community hospitals

Genus Shewanella: A Potential Intestinal Colonizer Associated With Post-Operative Surgical Site Infections in Coastal Regions

Background: This study aims to elucidate the clinical characteristics of Shewanella-related surgical site infections (SSIs) and assess the risk of mortality in patients by establishing a predictive model. Patients and Methods: A retrospective analysis of medical history and laboratory data of Shewanella-related SSI patients over the past decade was conducted via the electronic medical record (EMR) system. A predictive model for mortality risk in Shewanella-related SSI patients was established using plasma interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels combined with the Howell-PIRO scoring system. Results: Over the past 10 years, 45 strains of Shewanella were isolated from specimens such as bile, drainage fluid, and whole blood in patients with digestive tract SSIs. Among them, 21 of 45 (46.67%) patients underwent malignant tumor resection of the digestive system, 14 of 45 (31.11%) underwent endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) common bile duct exploration or the stone removal, and seven of 45 (15.56%) were trauma repair patients with fractures and abdominal injuries. Among the 45 Shewanella-related SSI patients, 10 died within 30 days of infection, six cases involved infections with more than two other types of bacteria. The combined use of IL-6 and Howell-PIRO scores for mortality risk assessment yielded an receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.9350, a positive predictive value of 92.71%, a negative predictive value of 94.58%, a diagnostic sensitivity of 95.35%, and a diagnostic specificity of 92.14%-all higher than the model using IL-6 or Howell-PIRO scores alone. Conclusions: We found that residents in coastal areas faced an increased risk of Shewanella-related SSI. Moreover, the higher the number of concurrent microbial infections occurring alongside Shewanella-related SSI, the greater the mortality rate among patients. The combined application of plasma IL-6 levels and the Howell-PIRO scoring system is beneficial for assessing patient mortality risk and guiding timely and proactive clinical interventions.

Staphylococcus aureus Infections and Human Intestinal Microbiota

Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is a common pathogen that can cause many human diseases, such as skin infection, food poisoning, endocarditis, and sepsis. These diseases can be minor infections or life-threatening, requiring complex medical management resulting in substantial healthcare costs. Meanwhile, as the critically ignored "organ," the intestinal microbiome greatly impacts physiological health, not only in gastrointestinal diseases but also in disorders beyond the gut. However, the correlation between S. aureus infection and intestinal microbial homeostasis is largely unknown. Here, we summarized the recent progress in understanding S. aureus infections and their interactions with the microbiome in the intestine. These summarizations will help us understand the mechanisms behind these infections and crosstalk and the challenges we are facing now, which could contribute to preventing S. aureus infections, effective treatment investigation, and vaccine development.

Bacterial profile of surgical site infection and antimicrobial resistance patterns in Ethiopia: a multicentre prospective cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Globally, surgical site infections (SSI) are the most commonly reported healthcare-associated infections.

METHODS

A multicentre study was conducted among patients who underwent surgical procedures at four hospitals located in Northern (Debre Tabor), Southern (Hawassa), Southwest (Jimma), and Central (Tikur Anbessa) parts of Ethiopia. A total of 752 patients clinically studied for surgical site infection were enrolled. The number of patients from Debre Tabor, Hawassa, Jimma, and Tikur Anbessa, hospitals was 172, 184, 193, and 203, respectively. At each study site, SSI discharge culture was performed from all patients, and positive cultures were characterized by colony characteristics, Gram stain, and conventional biochemical tests. Each bacterial species was confirmed using Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry (MALDI TOF). An antimicrobial susceptibility test (AST) was done on Mueller-Hinton agar using the disk diffusion method. Logistic regression analysis was used to assess associations of dependent and independent variables. A p-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Data were analysed using STATA 16 software.

RESULTS

Among 752 wound discharge cultures performed, 65.5% yielded growth. Among these, 57.9% and 42.1% were Gram-negative and Gram-positive isolates, respectively. In this study, a total of 494 bacteria were isolated; Staphylococcus aureus (31%), Escherichia coli (20.7%), and Klebsiella pneumoniae (9.8%) were the most common. Rare isolates (0.8% each) included Raoultella ornithinolytica, Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, Alcalignes faecalis, Pantoea ecurina, Bacillus flexus, and Paenibacillus tylopili. Enterobacteriaceae showed high levels of resistance to most of the tested antibiotics but lower levels of ertapenem (32.9%), amikacin (24.3%), imipenem (20.3%), and meropenem (17.6%) resistance. Multidrug-resistant (MDR) frequency of Enterobacteriaceae at Debre Tabor, Hawassa, Jimma, and Tikur Anbessa hospitals was 84.5%, 96.5%, 97.3%, and 94%, respectively. Ages ≥ 61 years (AOR = 2.83, 95% CI: 1.02-7.99; P 0.046), prolonged duration of hospital stay (AOR = 4.15, 95% CI: 2.87-6.01; P 0.000), history of previous antibiotics use (AOR = 2.83, 95% CI: 1.06-2.80; P 0.028), history of smoking (AOR = 2.35, 95% CI: 1.44-3.83; P 0.001), emergency surgery (AOR = 2.65, 95% CI: 1.92-3.66; P 0.000), and duration of operation (AOR = 0.27, 95% CI: 0.181-0.392; P 0.000) were significant risk factors.

CONCLUSION

The most prevalent isolates from Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria across all hospitals were S. aureus and E. coli, respectively. Many newly emerging Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria were identified. Variation between hospitals was found for both SSI etiology type and MDR frequencies. Hence, to prevent the emergence and spread of MDR bacteria, standard bacteriological tests and their AST are indispensable for effective antimicrobial stewardship.

Antimicrobial Stewardship in the Hospital Setting: A Narrative Review

The increasing global threat of antibiotic resistance, which has resulted in countless fatalities due to untreatable infections, underscores the urgent need for a strategic action plan. The acknowledgment that humanity is perilously approaching the "End of the Miracle Drugs" due to the unjustifiable overuse and misuse of antibiotics has prompted a critical reassessment of their usage. In response, numerous relevant medical societies have initiated a concerted effort to combat resistance by implementing antibiotic stewardship programs within healthcare institutions, grounded in evidence-based guidelines and designed to guide antibiotic utilization. Crucial to this initiative is the establishment of multidisciplinary teams within each hospital, led by a dedicated Infectious Diseases physician. This team includes clinical pharmacists, clinical microbiologists, hospital epidemiologists, infection control experts, and specialized nurses who receive intensive training in the field. These teams have evidence-supported strategies aiming to mitigate resistance, such as conducting prospective audits and providing feedback, including the innovative 'Handshake Stewardship' approach, implementing formulary restrictions and preauthorization protocols, disseminating educational materials, promoting antibiotic de-escalation practices, employing rapid diagnostic techniques, and enhancing infection prevention and control measures. While initial outcomes have demonstrated success in reducing resistance rates, ongoing research is imperative to explore novel stewardship interventions.

Colon surgical-site infections and the impact of "present at the time of surgery (PATOS)" in a large network of community hospitals

OBJECTIVES

To describe the epidemiology of complex colon surgical procedures (COLO), stratified by present at time of surgery (PATOS) surgical-site infections (SSIs) and non-PATOS SSIs and their impact on the epidemiology of colon-surgery SSIs.

DESIGN

Retrospective cohort study.

METHODS

SSI data were prospectively collected from patients undergoing colon surgical procedures (COLOs) as defined by the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) at 34 community hospitals in the southeastern United States from January 2015 to June 2019. Logistic regression models identified specific characteristics of complex COLO SSIs, complex non-PATOS COLO SSIs, and complex PATOS COLO SSIs.

RESULTS

Over the 4.5-year study period, we identified 720 complex COLO SSIs following 28,188 COLO surgeries (prevalence rate, 2.55 per 100 procedures). Overall, 544 complex COLO SSIs (76%) were complex non-PATOS COLO SSIs (prevalence rate [PR], 1.93 per 100 procedures) and 176 (24%) complex PATOS COLO SSIs (PR, 0.62 per 100 procedures). Age >75 years and operation duration in the >75th percentile were independently associated with non-PATOS SSIs but not PATOS SSIs. Conversely, emergency surgery and hospital volume for COLO procedures were independently associated with PATOS SSIs but not non-PATOS SSIs. The proportion of polymicrobial SSIs was significantly higher for non-PATOS SSIs compared with PATOS SSIs.

CONCLUSIONS

Complex PATOS COLO SSIs have distinct features from complex non-PATOS COLO SSIs. Removal of PATOS COLO SSIs from public reporting allows more accurate comparisons among hospitals that perform different case mixes of colon surgeries.

Epidemiology of postoperative spinal wound infection in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region

Background

Despite the extensive literature on postoperative spinal wound infection, yet to our knowledge, there is no previous study containing combined data from several sites in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. This study aimed to estimate the incidence of surgical site infection (SSI) following spine surgeries, its associated factors, and management.

Methods

In a retrospective cohort study, medical records of all patients ≥18 years of age who underwent spine surgery at 6 tertiary referral centers in the MENA region between January 2014 to December 2019 (n=5,872) were examined to collect data on the following: (1) Patient's characteristics, (2) Disease characteristics, (3) Spine surgery approach, and (4) Characteristics of Postoperative SSI. The determinants of postoperative SSI were identified using logistic regression analysis. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was applied to identify the cut-off of the length of stay in the hospital postoperatively till the infection is likely to occur. Significance was set at p<.05.

Results

The overall incidence of SSI was 4.2% (95% CI: 3.72-4.77), in the form of deep (46.4%), superficial (43.1%), dehiscence (9.3%), and organ space (1.2%) infections. After adjusting for all possible confounders, significant predictors of postoperative SSI were; diabetes (OR=2.12, p<.001), smoking (OR=1.66, p=.002), revision surgery (OR=2.20, p<.001), open surgery (OR=2.73, p<.001), perioperative blood transfusion (OR=1.45, p=.033), ASA class III(OR=2.08, p=.002), and ≥4 days length of stay "LOS" (OR= 1.71, p=.001). A cut-off of 4 days was the optimum LOS above which postoperative SSI is more likely to occur, with 0.70 sensitivity, 0.47 specificity, and 0.61 area under the curve.

Conclusions

This is the first study that highlighted the incidence of postoperative SSI in spine surgery in the MENA region. Incidence figures are comparable to figures in different areas of the world. Identifying predictors of SSI might help high‑risk patients benefit from more intensive wound management.

Strategies to prevent surgical site infections in acute-care hospitals: 2022 Update

The intent of this document is to highlight practical recommendations in a concise format designed to assist acute-care hospitals in implementing and prioritizing their surgical-site infection (SSI) prevention efforts. This document updates the Strategies to Prevent Surgical Site Infections in Acute Care Hospitals published in 2014. This expert guidance document is sponsored by the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA). It is the product of a collaborative effort led by SHEA, the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA), the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC), the American Hospital Association (AHA), and The Joint Commission, with major contributions from representatives of a number of organizations and societies with content expertise.

Surgical site infection trends in community hospitals from 2013 to 2018

OBJECTIVE

Sparse recent data are available on the epidemiology of surgical site infections (SSIs) in community hospitals. Our objective was to provide updated epidemiology data on complex SSIs in community hospitals and to characterize trends of SSI prevalence rates over time.

DESIGN

Retrospective cohort study.

METHODS

SSI data were collected from patients undergoing 26 commonly performed surgical procedures at 32 community hospitals in the southeastern United States from 2013 to 2018. SSI prevalence rates were calculated for each year and were stratified by procedure and causative pathogen.

RESULTS

Over the 6-year study period, 3,561 complex (deep incisional or organ-space) SSIs occurred following 669,467 total surgeries (prevalence rate, 0.53 infections per 100 procedures). The overall complex SSI prevalence rate did not change significantly during the study period: 0.58 of 100 procedures in 2013 versus 0.53 of 100 procedures in 2018 (prevalence rate ratio [PRR], 0.84; 95% CI, 0.66-1.08; P = .16). Methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) complex SSIs (n = 480, 13.5%) were more common than complex SSIs caused by methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA; n = 363, 10.2%).

CONCLUSIONS

The complex SSI rate did not decrease in our cohort of community hospitals from 2013 to 2018, which is a change from prior comparisons. The reason for this stagnation is unclear. Additional research is needed to determine the proportion of or remaining SSIs that are preventable and what measures would be effective to further reduce SSI rates.

Preoperative oral fluoroquinolone antibiotics in elective colorectal surgery to prevent surgical site infections: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Preoperative treatment with oral neomycin combined with erythromycin or metronidazole is recommended to decrease the risk of surgical site infections (SSIs) in elective colorectal surgery. However, oral neomycin is not commercially available in Canada, and therefore it is not routinely used. Fluoroquinolones are widely available and have excellent activity against aerobic Gram-negative bacteria. The aim of this systematic review was to identify, critically appraise and summarize the evidence on the efficacy and safety of preoperative use of oral fluoroquinolone antibiotics for the prevention of SSIs in adult patients undergoing elective colorectal resection.

METHODS

Following Cochrane guidelines, we included English-language randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing oral fluoroquinolones plus routine preoperative intravenous antibiotics against intravenous antibiotics alone from MEDLINE (Ovid), Embase (Ovid), the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials( Ovid) and ClinicalTrials.gov.

RESULTS

We included 3 RCTs (1136 patients). Risk of bias was uncertain in 2 trials and high in 1 trial. Preoperative oral fluoroquinolones led to significantly decreased total SSIs (risk ratio [RR] 0.43, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.32-0.57, I ² = 0%), superficial incisional (RR 0.38, 95% CI 0.22-0.68, I ² = 32%), deep incisional (RR 0.19, 95% CI 0.06-0.65, I ² = 0%) and organ/space SSIs (RR 0.34, 95% CI 0.12-0.90, I ² = 33%). There was also a significant reduction in anastomotic leaks (RR 0.22, 95% CI 0.06-0.87, I ² = 0%). No antibiotic-related adverse events were reported.

CONCLUSION

This review suggests that preoperative oral fluoroquinolones with intravenous antibiotics are superior to intravenous antibiotics alone for preventing SSIs after colorectal surgery. If neomycin is unavailable, oral fluoroquinolones should be considered as a reasonable alternative. Future trials are required to further compare the relative efficacy of oral antibiotic regimens.

Effect of stapled versus layered skin closure on surgical site occurrences after abdominal wall reconstruction

BACKGROUND

The effect of skin closure technique on surgical site occurrences (SSO) after open abdominal wall reconstruction (AWR) with retromuscular polypropylene mesh placement is largely unknown. We hypothesize that layered subcuticular skin closure with cyanoacrylate skin adhesive is protective of surgical site infection compared to standard stapled closure.

METHODS

A retrospective review utilizing the Abdominal Core Health Quality Collaborative (ACHQC) database of all patients at Prisma Health-Upstate. All patients with open abdominal wall reconstruction (AWR) of midline incisional hernia defects with retromuscular polypropylene mesh placement from January 2013 to February 2020 were included. Patient demographics, comorbidities, type of hernia repair with mesh location, method of skin closure, and SSOs were collected. Skin closure method was divided into two groups, reflecting a temporal change in practice: staples (historical control group) versus subcuticular suture with cyanoacrylate skin adhesive with/without polymer mesh tape (study group). Primary endpoint was SSI and SSO. Secondary endpoints were SSO or SSI requiring procedural intervention (SSOPI/SSIPI). Standard statistical methods were utilized.

RESULTS

A total of 834 patients were analyzed, with 263 treated with stapled skin closure and 571 with subcuticular and adhesive closure. On univariate analysis, the incidence of SSI was significantly lower in the study group (11.8 vs 6.8%; p = 0.002), as was the need for SSIPI (11.8 vs 6.7%; p = 0.015). Rate of SSO was not significantly different between groups (28.1 vs 27.2%), but the rate of SSO requiring intervention was lower in the study group (14.1 vs 9.3%; p = 0.045).

CONCLUSION

Layered skin closure technique, including subcuticular closure and adhesive, may reduce the risk of surgical site infection after open AWR. A prospective randomized trial is planned to confirm these findings.

Antibiotic use in gastrointestinal surgery patients at a Vietnamese national hospital

BACKGROUND

Invasive gastrointestinal surgery may be performed as an open or endoscopic procedure, such as laparoscopic semi-colon surgery, laparoscopic appendectomy, laparoscopic gastrectomy, and anal surgery, among other such operations. Regardless of the approach, the operative procedure interferes with the patient's gastrointestinal tract, necessitating the rational use of prophylactic antibiotics to improve treatment outcomes and minimize postoperative infections.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the prophylactic and postoperative antibiotic usage in patients who underwent invasive gastrointestinal surgery, and to identify factors associated with postoperative infection.

DESIGN

This descriptive, cross-sectional study included 112 patients who underwent invasive gastrointestinal surgery at the Department of Gastroenterology, Thong Nhat Hospital. We conducted a cross-sectional study in all inpatients aged 18 years and older, who underwent invasive gastrointestinal surgery between January 2020 and December 2020. We recorded patient characteristics, the administration and appropriateness of antibiotics, as well as treatment outcomes. The appropriateness of prophylactic and postoperative antibiotic usage was assessed based on 2015 Vietnamese national guideline for antibiotic use. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to determine the factors associated with postoperative infection.

RESULTS

Patients' mean age was 59.7 ± 17.2 years. Most surgeries (89.3%) were clean-contaminated procedures. The rates of appropriate types of antibiotics selected, doses, and overall rates of appropriateness of antibiotic prophylaxis were 68.0%, 76.4% and 54.7%, respectively. Of the patients investigated, 34.8% had at least one sign of postoperative infection; the overall appropriate rate of postoperative antibiotic was 38.5%. Old age was associated with postoperative infection and longer length of hospitalization.

CONCLUSION

Implementation of the guidelines recommended for the prophylactic and therapeutic use of antibiotics is essential to improve treatment outcomes.

Epidemiology and etiology of blood stream infections in a Belgian burn wound center

BACKGROUND

Infections are a major cause of morbidity in burn patients. We aimed to investigate the epidemiology and antibiotic susceptibility of blood stream infections in order to gain a better understanding of their role and burden in our Burn Wound Center.

METHODS

This retrospective epidemiological investigation analyzed data derived from medical files of patients admitted to our Burn Wound Center having had at least one positive blood culture between 1 January and 31 December 2018. We focused on the prevalence of causative agents in blood stream infections in function of the time after injury and on their drug sensitivity.

RESULTS

Among the 363 patients admitted to our Burn Wound Center during the study period, 29 had at least one episode of blood stream infection. Gram-negative organisms accounted for 56,36% of the pathogens in blood stream infections, Gram-positives for 38,17%, and yeasts for 5,45%. Pseudomonas aeruginosa was the most common bacterium (20%), followed by Staphylococcus epidermidis (16.36%), Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae (9,09% each). A third of the Gram-negative isolates were multidrug resistant. Gram-positive cocci were isolated from blood cultures at a median of 9 days after the injury, earlier than Gram-negative rods (median 15 days). The main sources of blood stream infections were the burn wounds, followed by infected catheters.

CONCLUSIONS

Multidrug resistant bacteria must be considered when selecting empirical antibiotic therapy in septic burn patients. In our center, we need to update our antibiotic guidelines, to review the hospital infection control measures and to introduce routine typing technology.

Surgical Site Infections

Surgical site infections (SSIs) are among the most common and most costly health care-associated infections, leading to adverse patient outcomes and death. Wound contamination occurs with each incision, but proven strategies exist to decrease the risk of SSI. In particular, improved adherence to evidence-based preventive measures related to appropriate antimicrobial prophylaxis can decrease the rate of SSI. Aggressive surgical debridement and effective antimicrobial therapy are needed to optimize the treatment of SSI.

Clinically relevant features for predicting the severity of surgical site infections

Surgical site infections are hospital-acquired infections resulting in severe risk for patients and significantly increased costs for healthcare providers. In this work, we show how to leverage irregularly sampled preoperative blood tests to predict, on the day of surgery, a future surgical site infection and its severity. Our dataset is extracted from the electronic health records of patients who underwent gastrointestinal surgery and developed either deep, shallow or no infection. We represent the patients using the concentrations of fourteen common blood components collected over the four weeks preceding the surgery partitioned into six time windows. A gradient boosting based classifier trained on our new set of features reports, respectively, an AUROC of 0:991 and 0:937 at predicting a postoperative infection and the severity thereof. Further analyses support the clinical relevance of our approach as the most important features describe the nutritional status and the liver function over the two weeks prior to surgery.

The impact of poor post-operative glucose control on neurosurgical surgical site infections (SSI)

Elevated HbA1c is associated with increased surgical site infections (SSI) in neurosurgical patients. How blood glucose control in the early post-operative period relates to SSI is incompletely understood. We hypothesized that poor early post-operative blood glucose control would be associated with SSI. Data from patients undergoing neurosurgical procedures at University of Missouri Hospital was retrospectively collected. Post-operative blood glucose for 72 h after surgery was assessed and categorized by levels of hyperglycemia; those with glucose ≥200 mg/dl were classified as poorly controlled. Patients with SSI were compared to patients without SSI using Chi-Square test with Fisher's exact test when appropriate. Of 500 patients having surgery, 300 had at least one post-operative blood glucose measurement. Of those 300 patients, 19 (6.33%) developed SSI. Patients with SSI had significantly higher mean post-operative blood glucose levels (p = 0.0081) and a greater mean number of point-of-care glucose level measurements >150 mg/dL (p = 0.0434). Pre-operative HbA1c and SSI were not associated (p = 0.0867). SSI was associated with pre-operative glucocorticoid use (p = 0.03), longer operative procedure (p = 0.0072), and required use of post-operative insulin drip (p = 0.047). Incidence of other wound complications (cellulitis, deep infection, dehiscence) increased with increase in post-operative blood glucose levels to >225 mg/dL. Post-operative hyperglycemia is associated with SSI after neurosurgical procedures, emphasizing the importance addressing blood glucose control after surgery.

Comparison of Efficacy of Povidone-Iodine, Ethanol, and an Aerosol Formulation of Silver Sulfadiazine in Controlling Microbial Burden on Sutures From Clean Surgeries

In the surgical suture, the implanted thread can be a source of microbial contamination. Implanted materials are frequently described as being substrates prone for biofilm development provoking surgical site infections. Treatment of postsurgical wounds with different topical antimicrobial agents is a current practice applied to every patient. However, to date, there is little evidence on the efficacy of different antiseptic treatments on suture materials in preventing environmental or skin bacterial adhesion and further infection. Here, the authors compared the ability of an aerosol formulation of silver sulfadiazine, vitamin A, and lidocaine (AF-SSD) and of two of the most frequently used topical treatments, povidone-iodine and ethanol, in eradicating or controlling the microbial contamination of suture threads in patients who have undergone clean surgeries. Postsurgical suture threads treated with AF-SSD showed a significantly reduced proportion of contaminated samples containing viable microbial cells compared with those treated with povidone-iodine or ethanol. Furthermore, those samples that were positive for bacterial growth showed a lesser number of viable cells in AF-SSD-treated sutures than those treated with povidone-iodine or ethanol. Confocal laser scanning microscopy showed that AF-SSD-treated postsurgical sutures presented significantly less attached microbial cells than povidone-iodine and ethanol, with scarce observable microbial cells on the surface of the suture. Taken together, the results suggest that treatment with AF-SSD is more effective than the other two antiseptics, and there is a potential for improvement in reducing the microbial burden of implanted materials such as the suture thread.

Surgical Infections and the Future of Research: Re-Defining the Research Agenda for the Surgical Infection Society

Background: Infections represent a major component of surgical practice. Risk mitigation, seeking eradication and optimal patient outcomes, require a concerted, multifocal effort to understand disease and microbiology, prevent infections, and treat them. The present study was undertaken to re-define the Surgical Infection Society (SIS) research agenda for the next decade. Hypothesis: We utilized the expertise of the SIS membership to identify research questions regarding surgical infections, hypothesizing that consensus among participants could be used to re-define the future research agenda. Methods: Members of the SIS were surveyed using a modified Delphi. The three rounds of the survey were targeted at: question generation; question ranking; and reaching consensus. Each of the 15 questions to emerge was evaluated according to level of consensus, feasibility, and data availability. Results: One hundred twenty-four participants contributed. Initially, 226 questions were generated that were condensed to 35 unique questions for consideration in the subsequent two rounds. The 35 questions encompassed several research themes, with antibiotic prophylaxis (n = 8), prevention of surgical site infections (SSIs; n = 6), and improved diagnostics (n = 5) being most common. Standard deviation of importance scores was inversely proportional to the question rank, indicating greater consensus among higher ranking questions. All 15 questions had a feasibility score of greater than three (five-point Likert scale), and the majority (12/15) had a mean data availability score of less than three. In the final round of the survey, the top three topics for further research surrounded non-antimicrobial treatments, optimal treatment duration for bacteremia, and treatment duration for necrotizing soft tissue infections. Conclusions: Using a modified Delphi process, 15 research questions addressing surgical infections were identified. Such questions can assist the SIS and the SIS Foundation for Research and Education in prioritizing and enabling research efforts, and development of a strategic research plan for the next decade.

Warm Weather and Surgical Site Infections: A Meta-analysis

Seasonal variability, in terms of warm weather, has been demonstrated to be a significant risk factor for surgical site infections (SSIs). However, this remains an underexposed risk factor for SSIs, and many clinicians are not aware of this. Therefore, a systematic review and meta-analysis has been conducted to investigate and quantify this matter.

METHODS

Articles were searched in Embase, Medline Ovid, Web of Science, Cochrane Central, and Google Scholar, and data were extracted from relevant studies. Meta-analysis used random effects models to estimate and compare the pooled odds ratios (OR) and corresponding confidence intervals (CIs) of surgery performed during the warmest period of the year and the colder period of the year.

RESULTS

The systematic review included 20 studies (58,599,475 patients), of which 14 studies (58,441,420 patients) were included for meta-analysis. Various types of surgical procedures across different geographic regions were included. The warmest period of the year was associated with a statistically significant increase in the risk of SSIs (OR 1.39, 95%CI: [1.34-1.45], P < 0.0001). Selection of specific types of surgical procedures (eg, orthopedic or spinal surgery) significantly altered this increased risk.

CONCLUSIONS

The current meta-analysis showed that warm weather seasons are associated with a statistically significant risk increasement of 39% in developing SSIs. This significant risk factor might aid clinicians in preoperative patient information, possible surgical planning adjustment for high risk patients, and potentially specific antibiotic treatments during the warmer weather seasons that could result in decrease of SSIs.

The impact of patient-reported penicillin or cephalosporin allergy on surgical site infections

OBJECTIVE

To determine the impact of a documented penicillin or cephalosporin allergy on the development of surgical site infections (SSIs).

BACKGROUND

Appropriate preoperative antibiotic prophylaxis reduces SSI risk, but documented antibiotic allergies influence the choice of prophylactic agents. Few studies have examined the relationship between a reported antibiotic allergy and risk of SSI and to what extent this relationship is modified by the antibiotic class given for prophylaxis.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective cohort study of adult patients undergoing coronary artery bypass, craniotomy, spinal fusion, laminectomy, hip arthroplasty and knee arthroplasty at 3 hospitals from July 1, 2013, to December 31, 2017. We built a multivariable logistic regression model to calculate the adjusted odds ratio (aOR) of developing an SSI among patients with and without patient-reported penicillin or cephalosporin allergies. We also examined effect measure modification (EMM) to determine whether surgical prophylaxis affected the association between reported allergy and SSI.

RESULTS

We analyzed 39,972 procedures; 1,689 (4.2%) with a documented patient penicillin or cephalosporin allergy, and 374 (0.9%) resulted in an SSI. Patients with a reported penicillin or cephalosporin allergy were more likely to develop an SSI compared to patients who did not report an allergy to penicillin or cephalosporins (adjusted odds ratio, 3.26; 95% confidence interval, 2.71-3.93). Surgical prophylaxis did not have significant EMM on this association.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients who reported a penicillin or cephalosporin allergy had higher odds of developing an SSI than nonallergic patients. However, the increase in odds is not completely mediated by the type of surgical prophylaxis. Instead, a reported allergy may be a surrogate marker for a more complicated patient population.

Using administrative data to determine rates of surgical site infections following spinal fusion and laminectomy procedures

OBJECTIVE

Surgical site infections (SSIs) are a serious and costly post-op complication. Generating SSI rates often requires labor-intensive methods, but increasing numbers of publications reported SSI rates using administrative data.

METHODS

Index laminectomy and spinal fusion procedures were identified using Canadian Classification of Health Interventions (CCI) procedure codes for inpatients and outpatients in the province of Alberta, Canada between 2008 and 2015. SSIs occurring in the year postsurgery were identified using the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision, Canada (ICD-10-CA) diagnosis and CCI procedure codes indicative of post-op infection. Rates of SSIs and case characteristics were reported.

RESULTS

Over the 8-year study period, 21,222 index spinal procedures were identified of which 12,027 (56.7%) were laminectomy procedures, with 322 SSIs identified, an SSI rate of 2.7 per 100 procedures. Of the 9,195 (43.3%) fusion procedures, 298 were identified as an SSI, an SSI rate of 3.2 per 100 procedures. This study found SSI rates increased from 2008 and 2015, and rates were the highest in the 0-18 year age group.

CONCLUSIONS

The rates reported in this study were similar to published SSI rates using traditional surveillance methods, suggesting administrative data may be a viable method for reporting SSI rates following spinal procedures. Further work is needed to validate SSIs identified using administrative data by comparing to traditional surveillance.

Variability in infection surveillance methods and impact on surgical site infection rates

BACKGROUND

The impact of variability in infection surveillance methodologies on publicly reported rates of surgical site infection (SSI) is not well defined.

METHODS

We performed a cross-sectional study to assess infection preventionists' surveillance practices across acute care US hospitals. We collected self-reported annual facility standardized infection ratios for colon surgery and abdominal hysterectomy as provided by the National Healthcare Safety Network. Trend analysis using Kendall's rank correlation evaluated the association between surveillance rigor and SSI rates.

RESULTS

Among 492 participating hospitals, 63%, 15%, 13%, and 8% were community, university-affiliated, critical access, and ambulatory surgical centers, respectively. Most critical access hospitals (82%) and ambulatory surgical centers (98%) reported less than one full time infection preventionists (P ≤ .001). University-affiliated medical centers spent significantly more time and used more data sources for monthly SSI review compared with other hospitals. Critical access hospitals and ambulatory surgical centers were more likely to rely on manual surveillance only (P < .001). The number of different data sources used for SSI surveillance was positively associated with higher SSI rates: (K_T 0.14, P = .028 for colon SSI in 2017; K_T 0.20, P = .009 for hysterectomy SSI in 2016; K_T 0.25, P = .001 for hysterectomy SSI in 2017).

CONCLUSIONS

Rigorous SSI surveillance using more data sources for case-finding is more likely to be associated with higher facility SSI rates for colon surgery and abdominal hysterectomy.

Early Monocyte Chemoattractant Protein-1 Elevation Predicts Surgical Site Infections after Blunt Trauma

Background: Dysregulation of the inflammatory and immune response to injury may increase susceptibility to secondary infections after trauma. It is unknown whether cytokines involved in this response could function as plasma biomarkers for surgical site infection (SSI). We hypothesized that the early cytokine response differs between patients who develop SSI and those who do not and that critical cytokine threshold values could be used to predict risk of SSI. Patients and Methods: Using the Glue Grant database, we performed an analysis of severely injured blunt trauma patients who underwent a major procedure and had available cytokine data. Patients were divided into SSI and no SSI groups. Receiver operating curve analysis was used to determine acceptable early cytokine predictors of SSI and critical threshold values. Multivariable regression analysis was then performed to determine the odds of developing SSI using threshold values, adjusting for key patient or injury factors. Cytokine levels were compared between SSI and no SSI groups at three time points. Results: The study cohort consisted of 70 patients and 11 patients developed SSI. Monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) was the only acceptable early predictor of SSI with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.71 (p = 0.03) and a critical threshold value of 490 pg/mL. Monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 levels above this threshold within 24 hours of injury were associated with SSI (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 8.1; p = 0.01). Monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 levels within 24 hours of injury were higher in those who developed SSI (994 vs. 259 pg/mL; p < 0.01) and remained higher in the SSI group at 33 hours from injury (338 vs. 144 pg/mL; p = 0.01), but were similar by 106 hours (155 vs. 97 pg/mL; p = 0.19). Conclusion: Among cytokines involved in the early response to trauma, only early elevation of MCP-1 predicted SSI after blunt trauma. Monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 may act as a specific and early marker for SSI after blunt trauma, allowing for preventative measures to mitigate risks.

A comparative study on production of extracellular hydrolytic enzymes of Candida species isolated from patients with surgical site infection and from healthy individuals and their co-relation with antifungal drug resistance

BACKGROUND

Surgical site infection (SSI) is a crucial dilemma of surgery. Patients with SSIs not only face difficulty in treatment but also bear extra cost with high mortality rate. Resistant strains of Candida have emerged as an important nosocomial pathogen. Proteinase and phospholipase are exo- enzymes of Candida species, have importance with respect to their contribution in diseases. This study focused on prevalence of Candida species in surgical wound, their resistance to antifungal drugs, co-relation of these resistance with virulence potential of Candida species and comparison of production level of exo-enzymes of Candida species isolated from patients with SSIs and healthy individuals to highlights their role in SSIs.

RESULTS

A total of (n = 555) swab samples were investigated. (n = 450) samples were collected from patients with SSIs and (n = 105) were collected from healthy individuals. Samples were subjected for the identification of Candida species which were subsequently investigated for antifungal susceptibility, MICs and enzymatic activity of Candida species. Out of 128 strains of Candida spp. isolated from SSIs, 54(42.18%) were identified as C. albicans followed by C. glabrata 32(25%), C. parapsilosis 17(13.28%), C. krusei 13(10.16%) and C. tropicalis 12(9.38%). C. albicans isolates showed 100% susceptibility to voriconazole and amphotericin B followed by itraconazole 98% and fluconazole 89%. Out of 6 fluconazole resistant C. albicans 5(83.33%) were able to produce phospholipase while out of 48 fluconazole-susceptible strains 17(35.42%) were found to be phospholipase producer. Out of 54 C. albicans isolated from surgical wound 46(85.18%) and 49(90.74%) were found to be phospholipase and proteinase producer respectively, whereas out of 20 C. albicans isolates from healthy subjects 14(70%) produce proteinase and 12(60%) produce phospholipase. There were significant statistical differences found between the level of enzyme production by C. albicans, in relation to both sites (P = 0.014).

CONCLUSION

Study revealed that prevalence of Candida species is high in SSIs. Phospholipase and proteinase activity were more pronounced in Candida Species from surgical wound in contrast to species from healthy individuals suggests these enzymes may have been responsible for the severity of infection in surgical wound patients.

Correlating incidence densities and point-prevalence for the surveillance of catheter-associated urinary tract infections

We aimed to validate the use of point-prevalence to identify catheter-associated urinary tract infections against the gold standard of incidence densities. We did not find a significant association, and hence our findings do not support the common practice of using point-prevalence as a less resource intensive method for catheter-associated urinary tract infections surveillance.

Early recognition and response to increases in surgical site infections using optimized statistical process control charts-the Early 2RIS Trial: a multicenter cluster randomized controlled trial with stepped wedge design

Background

Surgical site infections (SSIs) cause significant patient suffering. Surveillance and feedback of SSI rates is an evidence-based strategy to reduce SSIs, but traditional surveillance methods are slow and prone to bias. The objective of this cluster randomized controlled trial (RCT) is to determine if using optimized statistical process control (SPC) charts for SSI surveillance and feedback lead to a reduction in SSI rates compared to traditional surveillance.

Methods

The Early 2RIS Trial is a prospective, multicenter cluster RCT using a stepped wedge design. The trial will be performed in 29 hospitals in the Duke Infection Control Outreach Network (DICON) and 105 clusters over 4 years, from March 2016 through February 2020; year one represents a baseline period; thereafter, 8–9 clusters will be randomized to intervention every 3 months over a 3-year period using a stepped wedge randomization design. All patients who undergo one of 13 targeted procedures at study hospitals will be included in the analysis; these procedures will be included in one of six clusters: cardiac, orthopedic, gastrointestinal, OB-GYN, vascular, and spinal. All clusters will undergo traditional surveillance for SSIs; once randomized to intervention, clusters will also undergo surveillance and feedback using optimized SPC charts. Feedback on surveillance data will be provided to all clusters, regardless of allocation or type of surveillance. The primary endpoint is the difference in rates of SSI between the SPC intervention compared to traditional surveillance and feedback alone.

Discussion

The traditional approach for SSI surveillance and feedback has several major deficiencies because SSIs are rare events. First, traditional statistical methods require aggregation of measurements over time, which delays analysis until enough data accumulate. Second, traditional statistical tests and resulting p values are difficult to interpret. Third, analyses based on average SSI rates during predefined time periods have limited ability to rapidly identify important, real-time trends. Thus, standard analytic methods that compare average SSI rates between arbitrarily designated time intervals may not identify an important SSI rate increase on time unless the “signal” is very strong. Therefore, novel strategies for early identification and investigation of SSI rate increases are needed to decrease SSI rates. While SPC charts are used throughout industry and healthcare to improve and optimize processes, including other types of healthcare-associated infections, they have not been evaluated as a tool for SSI surveillance and feedback in a randomized trial.

Trial registration

ClinicalTrials.govNCT03075813, Registered March 9, 2017.

Reliability and feasibility of registered nurses conducting web-based surgical site infection surveillance in the community: A prospective cohort study

Surgical site infections increase health care costs, morbidity, and mortality in 2% to 5% of surgical patients. Standardised post-surgical surveillance is rare in community settings, causing under-reporting and under-serving of the documented 60% of surgical site infections occurring following hospital discharge. This study evaluated feasibility and concordance (inter-rater reliability) of paired registered nurses using a web-based surveillance tool (how2trakSSI, based on validated guidelines) to detect surgical site infections for up to 30 days after surgery in a cohort of 101 patients referred to Calea Home Care Clinics in Toronto, Canada, March 2015 to July 2016. After paired registered nurse assessors used the tool-less than 10 minutes apart to measure concordance 5 to 7 days postoperatively, they provided feedback on its usefulness at two teleconference discussion groups September 6 to 7, 2016. Overall concordance between assessors was 0.822, remaining consistently above 0.65 across assessor education level and experience, patient age and weight, and wound area. Assessors documented 39.6% surgical site infection prevalence 5 to 7 days after surgery, confirming clinical need, relevance, reliability, and feasibility of using this web-based tool to standardise community surgical site infection surveillance, noting that it was user-friendly, more efficient to use than traditional paper-based tools and useful as a registry for tracking progress.

A Unified Framework for Automatic Detection of Wound Infection with Artificial Intelligence

Background: The surgical wound is a unique problem requiring continuous postoperative care, and mobile health technology is implemented to bridge the care gap. Our study aim was to design an integrated framework to support the diagnosis of wound infection. Methods: We used a computer-vision approach based on supervised learning techniques and machine learning algorithms, to help detect the wound region of interest (ROI) and classify wound infection features. The intersection-union test (IUT) was used to evaluate the accuracy of the detection of color card and wound ROI. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of our model was adopted in comparison with different machine learning approaches. Results: 480 wound photographs were taken from 100 patients for analysis. The average value of IUT on the validation set with fivefold stratification to detect wound ROI was 0.775. For prediction of wound infection, our model achieved a significantly higher AUC score (83.3%) than the other three methods (kernel support vector machines, 44.4%; random forest, 67.1%; gradient boosting classifier, 66.9%). Conclusions: Our evaluation of a prospectively collected wound database demonstrates the effectiveness and reliability of the proposed system, which has been developed for automatic detection of wound infections in patients undergoing surgical procedures.

Antimicrobial susceptibility of biliary stents do not predict infectious complications after whipple

BACKGROUND

Postoperative infectious complications after a pancreaticoduodenectomy remain a significant cause of morbidity. Studies have demonstrated that a preoperative biliary stent increases the risk of postoperative infectious complications. Few studies have investigated the specific preoperative biliary stent bacterial sensitivities to preoperative antibiotics and the effect on infectious complications. The goal of this study was to investigate if the presence of a preoperative biliary stent increases the risk of postoperative infectious complications in patients undergoing a pancreaticoduodenectomy. Additionally, we aimed to investigate biliary stent culture sensitivities to preoperative antibiotics and determine if those sensitivities impacted postoperative infectious complications after a pancreaticoduodenectomy.

METHODS

A retrospective chart review of patients who had undergone a pancreaticoduodenectomy at a single institution tertiary care center from 2007 to 2018 was performed. Perioperative variables including microbiology cultures from biliary stents were collected and analyzed.

RESULTS

A total of 244 patients underwent a pancreaticoduodenectomy. A preoperative biliary stent was present in 45 (18%) patients. Infectious complications occurred in 25% of those patients with a preoperative biliary stent, and 19% of those without (P = .37). Of those patients with a stent that was cultured intraoperatively, 92% grew bacteria and 61% of those were resistant to the preoperative antibiotics administered. Of the patients with a preoperative biliary stent and bacteria resistant to the preoperative antibiotics, 17% developed a postoperative infectious complication, compared with 20% if the bacteria cultured was susceptible to the preoperative antibiotics (P = .64).

CONCLUSION

Infectious complications after pancreaticoduodenectomy are a significant cause of morbidity. Stent bacterial sensitivities to preoperative antibiotics did not reduce the postoperative infectious complications in the preoperative biliary stent group suggesting a multifactorial cause of infections.

Skin preparation for preventing infection following caesarean section

BACKGROUND

The risk of maternal mortality and morbidity is higher after caesarean section than for vaginal birth. With increasing rates of caesarean section, it is important to minimise risks to the mother as much as possible. This review focused on different skin preparations to prevent infection. This is an update of a review last published in 2018.

OBJECTIVES

To compare the effects of different antiseptic agents, different methods of application, or different forms of antiseptic used for preoperative skin preparation for preventing postcaesarean infection.

SEARCH METHODS

For this update, we searched Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth's Trials Register, ClinicalTrials.gov, the WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP) (9 July 2019), and reference lists of retrieved studies.

SELECTION CRITERIA

Randomised and quasi-randomised trials, evaluating any type of preoperative skin preparation (agents, methods or forms). We included studies presented only as abstracts, if there was enough information to assess risk of bias. Comparisons of interest in this review were between: different antiseptic agents (e.g. alcohol, povidone iodine), different methods of antiseptic application (e.g. scrub, paint, drape), different forms of antiseptic (e.g. powder, liquid), and also between different packages of skin preparation including a mix of agents and methods, such as a plastic incisional drape, which may or may not be impregnated with antiseptic agents. We mainly focused on the comparison between different agents, with and without the use of drapes. Only studies involving the preparation of the incision area were included. This review did not cover studies of preoperative handwashing by the surgical team or preoperative bathing.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

Three review authors independently assessed all potential studies for inclusion, assessed risk of bias, extracted the data and checked data for accuracy. We assessed the certainty of the evidence using the GRADE approach.

MAIN RESULTS

We included 13 individually-randomised controlled trials (RCTs), with a total of 6938 women who were undergoing caesarean section. Twelve trials (6916 women) contributed data to this review. The trial dates ranged from 1983 to 2016. Six trials were conducted in the USA, and the remainder in India, Egypt, Nigeria, South Africa, France, Denmark, and Indonesia. The included studies were broadly at low risk of bias for most domains, although high risk of detection bias raised some specific concerns in a number of studies. Length of stay was only reported in one comparison. Antiseptic agents Parachlorometaxylenol with iodine versus iodine alone We are uncertain whether parachlorometaxylenol with iodine made any difference to the incidence of surgical site infection (risk ratio (RR) 0.33, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.04 to 2.99; 1 trial, 50 women), or endometritis (RR 0.88, 95% CI 0.56 to 1.38; 1 trial, 50 women) when compared with iodine alone, because the certainty of the evidence was very low. Adverse events (maternal or neonatal) were not reported. Chlorhexidine gluconate versus povidone iodine Moderate-certainty evidence suggested that chlorhexidine gluconate, when compared with povidone iodine, probably slightly reduces the incidence of surgical site infection (RR 0.72, 95% CI 0.58 to 0.91; 8 trials, 4323 women). This effect was still present in a sensitivity analysis after removing four trials at high risk of bias for outcome assessment (RR 0.87, 95% CI 0.62 to 1.23; 4 trials, 2037 women). Low-certainty evidence indicated that chlorhexidine gluconate, when compared with povidone iodine, may make little or no difference to the incidence of endometritis (RR 0.95, 95% CI 0.49 to 1.86; 3 trials, 2484 women). It is uncertain whether chlorhexidine gluconate reduces maternal skin irritation or allergic skin reaction (RR 0.64, 95% CI 0.28 to 1.46; 3 trials, 1926 women; very low certainty evidence). One small study (60 women) reported reduced bacterial growth at 18 hours after caesarean section for women who had chlorhexidine gluconate preparation compared with women who had povidone iodine preparation (RR 0.23, 95% CI 0.07 to 0.70). Methods Drape versus no drape This comparison investigated the use of drape versus no drape, following preparation of the skin with antiseptics. Low-certainty evidence suggested that using a drape before surgery compared with no drape, may make little or no difference to the incidence of surgical site infection (RR 1.29, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.97 to 1.71; 3 trials, 1373 women), and probably makes little or no difference to the length of stay in the hospital (mean difference (MD) 0.10 days, 95% CI -0.27 to 0.46; 1 trial, 603 women; moderate-certainty evidence). One trial compared an alcohol scrub and iodophor drape with a five-minute iodophor scrub only, and reported no surgical site infection in either group (79 women, very-low certainty evidence). We were uncertain whether the combination of a one-minute alcohol scrub and a drape reduced the incidence of metritis when compared with a five-minute scrub, because the certainty of the evidence was very low (RR 1.62, 95% CI 0.29 to 9.16; 1 trial, 79 women). The studies did not report on adverse events (maternal or neonatal).

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS

Moderate-certainty evidence suggests that preparing the skin with chlorhexidine gluconate before caesarean section is probably slightly more effective at reducing the incidence of surgical site infection in comparison to povidone iodine. For other outcomes examined there was insufficient evidence available from the included RCTs. Most of the evidence in this review was deemed to be very low or low certainty. This means that for most findings, our confidence in any evidence of an intervention effect is limited, and indicates the need for more high-quality research. Therefore, it is not yet clear what sort of skin preparation may be most effective for preventing postcaesarean surgical site infection, or for reducing other undesirable outcomes for mother and baby. Well-designed RCTs, with larger sample sizes are needed. High-priority questions include comparing types of antiseptic (especially iodine versus chlorhexidine), and application methods (scrubbing, swabbing, or draping). We found two studies that are ongoing; we will incorporate the results of these studies in future updates of this review.

Perioperative Strategies for Surgical Site Infection Prevention

Surgical site infections (SSIs) are some of the most common and costly health care-associated infections. Although the rate of SSIs has declined significantly in the past decade, patient safety remains at risk. Perioperative nurses employ a variety of evidence-based best practices to prevent SSIs and facilitate a safe surgical experience for their patients, including hand hygiene, preoperative patient skin antisepsis, and antimicrobial irrigation. This article explores the causes of SSIs, such as modifiable and nonmodifiable patient factors and preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative procedural factors, and discusses some of the specific recommended strategies related to the prevention of SSIs that perioperative nurses can initiate in their workplace.

Synthetic Mesh Versus Acellular Dermal Matrix for Oncologic Chest Wall Reconstruction: A Comparative Analysis

BACKGROUND

Management of chest wall defects after oncologic resection is challenging due to multifactorial etiologies. Traditionally, skeletal stabilization in chest wall reconstruction (CWR) was performed with synthetic prosthetic mesh. The authors hypothesized that CWR for oncologic resection defects with acellular dermal matrix (ADM) is associated with a lower incidence of complications than synthetic mesh.

METHODS

Consecutive patients who underwent CWR using synthetic mesh (SM) or ADM at a single center were reviewed. Only oncologic defects involving resection of at least one rib and reconstruction with both mesh and overlying soft tissue flaps were included in this study. Patients' demographics, treatment factors, and outcomes were prospectively documented. The primary outcome measure was surgical-site complications (SSCs). The secondary outcomes were specific wound-healing events, cardiopulmonary complications, reoperation, and mortality.

RESULTS

This study investigated 146 patients [95 (65.1%) with SM; 51 (34.9%) with ADM] who underwent resection and CWR of oncologic defects. The mean follow-up period was 29.3 months (range 6-109 months). The mean age was 51.5 years, and the mean size of the defect area was 173.8 cm². The SM-CWR patients had a greater number of ribs resected (2.7 vs. 2.0 ribs; p = 0.006) but a similar incidence of sternal resections (29.5% vs. 23.5%; p = 0.591) compared with the ADM-CWR patients. The SM-CWR patients experienced significantly more SSCs (32.6% vs. 15.7%; p = 0.027) than the ADM-CWR patients. The two groups had similar rates of specific wound-healing complications. No differences in mortality or reoperations were observed.

CONCLUSIONS

The ADM-CWR patients experienced fewer SSCs than the SM-CWR patients. Surgeons should consider selectively using ADM for CWR, particularly in patients at higher risk for SSCs.

Integrated clinical pathways with watertight, multi-layer closure to improve patient outcomes in total hip and knee joint arthroplasty

The number of primary total hip and knee replacement surgeries is increasing primarily due to an aging population. There is also a concomitant increase in the number of complications which could be attributed to high variation in arthroplasty techniques, peri-operative methods and the absence of integrated clinical pathways (ICP) to mitigate risks such as surgical site infections (SSIs). The implementation of ICPs incorporating watertight, multi-layer closure could increase the preventative effectiveness against joint prosthetic adverse events. The objective of this review is to describe the ICPs implemented by one US facility to help address ten adverse events synergistically.

Large-scale empirical optimisation of statistical control charts to detect clinically relevant increases in surgical site infection rates

OBJECTIVE

Surgical site infections (SSIs) are common costly hospital-acquired conditions. While statistical process control (SPC) use in healthcare has increased, limited rigorous empirical research compares and optimises these methods for SSI surveillance. We sought to determine which SPC chart types and design parameters maximise the detection of clinically relevant SSI rate increases while minimising false alarms.

DESIGN

Systematic retrospective data analysis and empirical optimisation.

METHODS

We analysed 12 years of data on 13 surgical procedures from a network of 58 community hospitals. Statistically significant SSI rate increases (signals) at individual hospitals initially were identified using 50 different SPC chart variations (Shewhart or exponentially weighted moving average, 5 baseline periods, 5 baseline types). Blinded epidemiologists evaluated the clinical significance of 2709 representative signals of potential outbreaks (out of 5536 generated), rating them as requiring 'action' or 'no action'. These ratings were used to identify which SPC approaches maximised sensitivity and specificity within a broader set of 3600 individual chart variations (additional baseline variations and chart types, including moving average (MA), and five control limit widths) and over 32 million dual-chart combinations based on different baseline periods, reference data (network-wide vs local hospital SSI rates), control limit widths and other calculation considerations. Results were validated with an additional year of data from the same hospital cohort.

RESULTS

The optimal SPC approach to detect clinically important SSI rate increases used two simultaneous MA charts calculated using lagged rolling baseline windows and 1 SD limits. The first chart used 12-month MAs with 18-month baselines and best identified small sustained increases above network-wide SSI rates. The second chart used 6-month MAs with 3-month baselines and best detected large short-term increases above individual hospital SSI rates. This combination outperformed more commonly used charts, with high sensitivity (0.90; positive predictive value=0.56) and practical specificity (0.67; negative predictive value=0.94).

CONCLUSIONS

An optimised combination of two MA charts had the best performance for identifying clinically relevant small but sustained above-network SSI rates and large short-term individual hospital increases.

The impact of surgical site infections on hospital contribution margin-a European prospective observational cohort study

BACKGROUND

Surgical site infections (SSIs) are common surgical complications that lead to increased costs. Depending on payer type, however, they do not necessarily translate into deficits for every hospital.

OBJECTIVE

We investigated how surgical site infections (SSIs) influence the contribution margin in 2 reimbursement systems based on diagnosis-related groups (DRGs).

METHODS

This preplanned observational health cost analysis was nested within a Swiss multicenter randomized controlled trial on the timing of preoperative antibiotic prophylaxis in general surgery between February 2013 and August 2015. A simulation of cost and income in the National Health Service (NHS) England reimbursement system was conducted.

RESULTS

Of 5,175 patients initially enrolled, 4,556 had complete cost and income data as well as SSI status available for analysis. SSI occurred in 228 of 4,556 of patients (5%). Patients with SSIs were older, more often male, had higher BMIs, compulsory insurance, longer operations, and more frequent ICU admissions. SSIs led to higher hospital cost and income. The median contribution margin was negative in cases of SSI. In SSI cases, median contribution margin was Swiss francs (CHF) -2045 (IQR, -12,800 to 4,848) versus CHF 895 (IQR, -2,190 to 4,158) in non-SSI cases. Higher ASA class and private insurance were associated with higher contribution margins in SSI cases, and ICU admission led to greater deficits. Private insurance had a strong increasing effect on contribution margin at the 10th, 50th (median), and 90th percentiles of its distribution, leading to overall positive contribution margins for SSIs in Switzerland. The NHS England simulation with 3,893 patients revealed similar but less pronounced effects of SSI on contribution margin.

CONCLUSIONS

Depending on payer type, reimbursement systems with DRGs offer only minor financial incentives to the prevention of SSI.

Clinical practice guidelines for surgical antimicrobial prophylaxis: Qualitative appraisals and synthesis of recommendations

RATIONALE, GOALS, AND OBJECTIVES

Clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) for preoperative care have been developed for surgical antimicrobial prophylaxis (SAP). The objective of this study was to synthetize recommendations for SAP based on best-evaluated CPGs.

METHODS

A systematic literature search for documents related to SAP, published between January 2011 and December 2016, was conducted on MEDLINE (PubMed), EMBASE, and specific CPG websites. Three reviewers independently assessed the rigour of development and editorial independence of CPGs based on domains 3 and 6 of the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research & Evaluation II (AGREE II) instrument. CPGs with domain 3 scores of 50% and greater were selected for synthesis of recommendations. Two reviewers independently extracted CPG recommendations from among these documents. A third reviewer performed the synthesis of recommendations.

RESULTS

The search retrieved 363 documents, of which 29 CPGs were appraised using AGREE II. Only eight (28%) scored 50% and greater in domain 3. Most CPGs addressed topics related to preoperative care, including SAP. No conflicting recommendations were found, and most recommendations were based on clinical practice. The only recommendation for which there was a difference among CPGs was with respect to the time to initiate the administration of antibiotics (1 hour before or close to the time of the surgical incision). Four CPGs provide recommendations that demonstrate concern about inadequate SAP prolongation.

CONCLUSION

Several CPGs for SAP were developed without the desired methodological rigour or transparency. Synthesis of recommendations for best-evaluated CPGs provides a broad approach owing to the complementarity of the recommendations.

A standardized guideline for antibiotic prophylaxis in surgical neonates. Semin Pediatr Surg 2019;28:53-56. [PMID: 30824135 DOI: 10.1053/j.sempedsurg.2019.01.009]

Infection following surgical procedures leads to increased morbidity and mortality in all populations. Guidelines to aid providers in the proper use of prophylactic antibiotics exist for adults, but are rare in the neonatal surgical population. A recent emphasis on appropriate antibiotic stewardship had led to the development of more guidelines without a coincident increase in surgical site infection. Robust data from randomized, controlled trials, however, remain sparse.

Risk of subsequent health care-associated infection among patients with a bloodstream infection present on hospital admission

BACKGROUND

The risks and outcomes of acquiring a health care-associated infection (HAI) among patients with a bloodstream infection present on hospital admission (BSI-POA) have not been well described. The objective of this study was to examine the incidence of and risk factors for developing a subsequent HAI and to compare length of stay and mortality between patients with a BSI-POA who develop an HAI and those who do not.

METHODS

This was a retrospective cohort study of patients aged ≥18 years discharged with a BSI-POA from 3 hospitals in New York City between 2006 and 2014.

RESULTS

There were 761 HAIs among the 11,436 patients with a BSI-POA. Incidence rates were: catheter-associated urinary tract infections, 5.03 infections per 1,000 catheter days; pneumonia, 2.7% among BSI-POA patients; surgical site infections, 9.2% among BSI-POA patients. Length of stay was longer among patients who developed an HAI (mean ± SD, 35.0 ± 29.8 vs 12.4 ± 11.9, P < .001). Mortality was higher in patients who developed an HAI (23.9% vs 11.6%, P < .001).

CONCLUSIONS

Risk factors for those who developed an HAI differed by infection type. Overall, HAI was associated with longer hospitalization, and pneumonia was associated with increased mortality.

Associations of Hospital Length of Stay with Surgical Site Infections

BACKGROUND

Surgical site infections (SSI) are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in surgical patients. Postoperative and total hospital length of stay (LOS) are known to be prolonged by the occurrence of SSI. Preoperative LOS may increase the risk of SSI. This study aims at identifying the associations of pre- and postoperative LOS in hospital and intensive care with the occurrence of SSI.

METHODS

This observational cohort study includes general, orthopedic trauma and vascular surgery patients at two tertiary referral centers in Switzerland between February 2013 and August 2015. The outcome of interest was the 30-day SSI rate.

RESULTS

We included 4596 patients, 234 of whom (5.1%) experienced SSI. Being admitted at least 1 day before surgery compared to same-day surgery was associated with a significant increase in the odds of SSI in univariate analysis (OR 1.65, 95% CI 1.25-2.21, p < 0.001). More than 1 day compared to 1 day of preoperative hospital stay did not further increase the odds of SSI (OR 1.08, 95% CI 0.77-1.50, p = 0.658). Preoperative admission to an intensive care unit (ICU) increased the odds of SSI as compared to hospital admission outside of an ICU (OR 2.19, 95% CI 0.89-4.59, p = 0.057). Adjusting for potential confounders in multivariable analysis weakened the effects of both preoperative admission to hospital (OR 1.38, 95% CI 0.99-1.93, p = 0.061) and to the ICU (OR 1.89, 95% CI 0.73-4.24, p = 0.149).

CONCLUSION

There was no significant independent association between preoperative length of stay and risk of SSI while SSI and postoperative LOS were significantly associated.

Skin preparation for preventing infection following caesarean section

BACKGROUND

The risk of maternal mortality and morbidity (particularly postoperative infection) is higher for caesarean section (CS) than for vaginal birth. With the increasing rate of CS, it is important to minimise the risks to the mother as much as possible. This review focused on different forms and methods of preoperative skin preparation to prevent infection. This review is an update of a review that was first published in 2012, and updated in 2014.

OBJECTIVES

To compare the effects of different antiseptic agents, different methods of application, or different forms of antiseptic used for preoperative skin preparation for preventing postcaesarean infection.

SEARCH METHODS

For this update, we searched Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth's Trials Register, ClinicalTrials.gov, the WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP) (27 November 2017), and reference lists of retrieved studies.

SELECTION CRITERIA

Randomised and quasi-randomised trials, evaluating any type of preoperative skin preparation agents, forms, and methods of application for caesarean section.Comparisons of interest in this review were between different antiseptic agents used for CS skin preparation (e.g. alcohol, povidone iodine), different methods of antiseptic application (e.g. scrub, paint, drape), different forms of antiseptic (e.g. powder, liquid), and also between different skin preparations, such as a plastic incisional drape, which may or may not be impregnated with antiseptic agents.Only studies involving the preparation of the incision area were included. This review did not cover studies of preoperative handwashing by the surgical team or preoperative bathing.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

Three review authors independently assessed all potential studies for inclusion, assessed risk of bias, and extracted the data using a predesigned form. We checked data for accuracy. We assessed the quality of the evidence using the GRADE approach.

MAIN RESULTS

For this update, we included 11 randomised controlled trials (RCTs), with a total of 6237 women who were undergoing CS. Ten trials (6215 women) contributed data to this review. All included studies were individual RCTs. We did not identify any quasi- or cluster-RCTs. The trial dates ranged from 1983 to 2016. Six trials were conducted in the USA, and the remainder in Nigeria, South Africa, France, Denmark, and Indonesia.The included studies were broadly methodologically sound, but raised some specific concerns regarding risk of bias in a number of cases.Drape versus no drapeThis comparison investigated the use of a non-impregnated drape versus no drape, following preparation of the skin with antiseptics. For women undergoing CS, low-quality evidence suggested that using a drape before surgery compared with no drape, may make little or no difference to the incidence of surgical site infection (risk ratio (RR) 1.29, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.97 to 1.71; 2 trials, 1294 women), or length of stay in the hospital (mean difference (MD) 0.10 day, 95% CI -0.27 to 0.46 1 trial, 603 women).One-minute alcohol scrub with iodophor drape versus five-minute iodophor scrub without drapeOne trial compared an alcohol scrub and iodophor drape with a five-minute iodophor scrub only, and reported no surgical site infection in either group (79 women, very-low quality evidence). We were uncertain whether the combination of a one-minute alcohol scrub and a drape reduced the incidence of endomyometritis when compared with a five-minute scrub, because the quality of the evidence was very low (RR 1.62, 95% CI 0.29 to 9.16; 1 trial, 79 women).Parachlorometaxylenol with iodine versus iodine aloneWe were uncertain whether parachlorometaxylenol with iodine before CS made any difference to the incidence of surgical site infection (RR 0.33, 95% CI 0.04 to 2.99; 1 trial, 50 women), or endometritis (RR 0.88, 95% CI 0.56 to 1.38; 1 trial, 50 women) when compared with iodine alone, because the quality of the evidence was very low.Chlorhexidine gluconate versus povidone iodineLow-quality evidence suggested that chlorhexidine gluconate before CS, when compared with povidone iodine, may make little or no difference to the incidence of surgical site infection (RR 0.80, 95% CI 0.62 to 1.02; 6 trials, 3607 women). However, surgical site infection appeared to be slightly reduced for women for whom chlorhexidine gluconate was used compared with povidone iodine after we removed four trials at high risk of bias for outcome assessment, in a sensitivity analysis (RR 0.59, 95% CI 0.37 to 0.95; 2 trials, 1321 women).Low-quality evidence indicated that chlorhexidine gluconate before CS, when compared with povidone iodine, may make little or no difference to the incidence of endometritis (RR 1.01, 95% CI 0.51 to 2.01; 2 trials, 2079 women), or to reducing maternal skin irritation or allergic skin reaction (RR 0.60, 95% CI 0.22 to 1.63; 2 trials, 1521 women).One small study (60 women) reported reduced bacterial growth at 18 hours after CS for women who had chlorhexidine gluconate preparation compared with women who had povidone iodine preparation (RR 0.23, 95% CI 0.07 to 0.70).None of the included trials reported on maternal mortality or repeat surgery.Chlorhexidine 0.5% versus 70% alcohol plus drapeOne trial, which was only available as an abstract, investigated the effect of skin preparation on neonatal adverse events, and found cord blood iodine concentration to be higher in the iodine group.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS

There was insufficient evidence available from the included RCTs to fully evaluate different agents and methods of skin preparation for preventing infection following caesarean section. Therefore, it is not yet clear what sort of skin preparation may be most effective for preventing postcaesarean surgical site infection, or for reducing other undesirable outcomes for mother and baby.Most of the evidence in this review was deemed to be very low or low quality. This means that for most findings, our confidence in any evidence of an intervention effect is limited, and indicates the need for more high-quality research.This field needs high quality, well designed RCTs, with larger sample sizes. High priority questions include comparing types of antiseptic (especially iodine versus chlorhexidine), and application methods (scrubbing, swabbing, or draping). We found four studies that were ongoing; we will incorporate the results of these studies in future updates of this review.

The development of a staphylococcus aureus four antigen vaccine for use prior to elective orthopedic surgery

Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is a challenging bacterial pathogen which can cause a range of diseases, from mild skin infections, to more serious and invasive disease including deep or organ space surgical site infections, life-threatening bacteremia, and sepsis. S. aureus rapidly develops resistance to antibiotic treatments. Despite current infection control measures, the burden of disease remains high. The most advanced vaccine in clinical development is a 4 antigen S. aureus vaccine (SA4Ag) candidate that is being evaluated in a phase 2b/3 efficacy study in patients undergoing elective spinal fusion surgery (STaphylococcus aureus suRgical Inpatient Vaccine Efficacy [STRIVE]). SA4Ag has been shown in early phase clinical trials to be generally safe and well tolerated, and to induce high levels of bactericidal antibodies in healthy adults. In this review we discuss the design of SA4Ag, as well as the proposed clinical development plan supporting licensure of SA4Ag for the prevention of invasive disease caused by S. aureus in elective orthopedic surgical populations. We also explore the rationale for the generalizability of the results of the STRIVE efficacy study (patients undergoing elective open posterior multilevel instrumented spinal fusion surgery) to a broad elective orthopedic surgery population due to the common pathophysiology of invasive S. aureus disease and commonalties of patient and procedural risk factors for developing postoperative S. aureus surgical site infections.

Time to Diagnosis and Treatment of Surgical Site Infections in Foot and Ankle Surgery

BACKGROUND

The time at which patients typically present with surgical site infections (SSI) following foot and ankle surgery has not been characterized. The primary aim of this study was to quantify the time to definitive treatment of SSIs.

METHODS

We performed a retrospective review of 1933 foot and ankle procedures in 1632 patients from 2011 through 2015. Demographic and surgical data were collected. Time to presentation in cases diagnosed with postoperative wound complications or SSIs was analyzed. Wound complications were defined as any case with concerning wound appearance that subsequently resolved with antibiotic therapy alone. SSIs were defined as cases requiring operative irrigation and debridement (I&D) for successful definitive management.

RESULTS

A total of 1569 procedures met inclusion criteria, with 17 SSIs (1.1%) and 63 wound complications (4.0%). Time between surgery and definitive treatment in the SSI group was significantly greater than in the wound complication group (28.2 ± 9.1 vs 13.4 ± 4.7 days, P < .00001). Eleven (64.7%) cases in the SSI group failed a trial of antibiotics prior to I&D, and 6 (35.3%) cases did not receive antibiotics prior to I&D. Antibiotic treatment prior to I&D did not significantly decrease the yield of intraoperative wound cultures (70% vs 100%, P = .51).

CONCLUSION

In our cohort of patients, the time to diagnosis and treatment of SSIs was longer than that of wound complications. SSIs requiring operative intervention did not present until an average of 4 weeks after surgery. These data are of some benefit in trying to define and understand SSI.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Level III, retrospective cohort study.

Adaptation and Implementation of a Transitional Care Protocol for Patients Undergoing Complex Abdominal Surgery

BACKGROUND

Transitional care protocols are effective at reducing readmission for medical patients, yet no evidence-based protocols exist for surgical patients. A transitional care protocol was adapted to meet the needs of patients discharged to home after major abdominal surgery.

APPROACH

The Coordinated-Transitional Care (C-TraC) protocol, initially designed for medical patients, was used as the initial framework for the development of a surgery-specific protocol (sC-TraC). Adaptation was accomplished using a modification of the Replicating Effective Programs (REP) model, which has four phases: (1) preconditions, (2) preimplementation, (3) implementation, and (4) maintenance and evolution. A random sample of five patients each month was selected to complete a phone survey regarding patient satisfaction. Preimplementation planning allowed for integration with current systems, avoided duplication of processes, and defined goals for the protocol. The adapted protocol specifically addressed surgical issues such as nutrition, fever, ostomy output, dehydration, drain character/output, and wound appearance. After protocol launch, the rapid iterative adaptation process led to changes in phone call timing, inclusion and exclusion criteria, and discharge instructions.

OUTCOMES

Survey responders reported 100% overall satisfaction with the transitional care program.

KEY INSIGHTS

The adaptable nature of sC-TraC may allow for low-resource hospitals, such as rural or inner-city medical centers, to use the methodology provided in this study for implementation of local phone-based transitional care protocols. In addition, as the C-TraC program has begun to disseminate nationally across US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) hospitals and rural health settings, sC-TraC may be implemented using the existing transitional care infrastructure in place at these hospitals.

The radiological myometrial appearance after cesarean section: is it associated with postpartum complications and subsequent delivery outcome?

PURPOSE

To evaluate whether the characteristics of the radiological uterine myometrial discontinuity (RMD) is associated with maternal-neonatal outcomes and post-cesarean section (CS) complications. A secondary aim was to describe the evolution of the CT uterine surgical incision and the related outcome of a subsequent trial of labor after cesarean (TOLAC).

METHODS

Single center retrospective cohort study of CT scans was performed within 6 weeks from cesarean delivery. Demographic characteristics of patients were recorded (age, intrapartum fever, CS data, and hospital stay length). Abdominopelvic CT scans were performed using a multidetector CT (16 or 256 slice) with intravenous contrast material. CT analysis was performed by two radiologists in consensus. The RMD seen as low attenuation gap in expected incision site was assessed for: visualization, thickness, and presence of gas. Logistic regression analysis was fitted to assess the relationship of the delivery-CT time interval with the presence of RMD and gas.

RESULTS

Of a total of 75,791 births during the study period there were 8775 CS (11.6%). The study group consisted of 101 CTs in 84 woman after CS. RMD defined in 73 (72.2%) of all CT exams; the mean RMD thickness was 7 mm ± 3.9, "RMD gas" observed in 15 (17.9%) of CT exams. RMD thickness or gas presence were strongly associated with a CS-1st CT exam time interval of less than 7 days, OR 5.8 [CI 1.5-22.6], p = 0.010, but not with maternal, delivery, or neonatal characteristics. A subsequent successful vaginal birth was achieved in 75% of the patients with no uterine rupture, regardless of the RMD gas presence.

CONCLUSION

RMD gas visualization on CT is not associated with febrile morbidity, cesarean characteristics, and subsequent TOLAC results. RMD gas is a normal post-operative finding and should not lead to changes in the postpartum delivery complication management or recommendations for the future mode of delivery.

The association of surgical drains with surgical site infections - A prospective observational study

BACKGROUND

Surgical drains are widely used despite limited evidence in their favor. This study describes the associations between drains and surgical site infections (SSI).

METHODS

This prospective observational double center study was performed in Switzerland between February 2013 and August 2015.

RESULTS

The odds of SSI in the presence of drains were increased in general (OR 2.41, 95%CI 1.32-4.30, p = 0.004), but less in vascular and not in orthopedic trauma surgery. In addition to the surgical division, the association between drains and SSI depended significantly on the duration of surgery (p = 0.01) and wound class (p = 0.034). Furthermore, the duration of drainage (OR 1.24, 95%CI 1.15-1.35, p < 0.001), the number (OR 1.74, 95%CI 1.09-2.74, p = 0.019) and type of drains (open versus closed: OR 3.68, 95%CI 1.88, 6.89, p < 0.001) as well as their location (overall p = 0.002) were significantly associated with SSI.

CONCLUSIONS

The general use of drains is discouraged. However, drains may be beneficial in specific surgical procedures.

Validation of semiautomated surgical site infection surveillance using electronic screening algorithms in 38 surgery categories

OBJECTIVE

To verify the validity of a semiautomated surgical site infection (SSI) surveillance system using electronic screening algorithms in 38 categories of surgery.

DESIGN

A cohort study for validation of semiautomated SSI surveillance system using screening algorithms.

SETTING

A 1,989-bed tertiary-care referral center in Seoul, Republic of Korea.

METHODS

A dataset of 40,516 surgical procedures in 38 categories stored in the conventional SSI surveillance registry at the Samsung Medical Center between January 2013 and December 2014 was used as the reference standard. In the semiautomated surveillance system, electronic screening algorithms flagged cases meeting at least 1 of 3 criteria: antibiotic prescription, microbial culture, and infectious disease consultation. Flagged cases were audited by infection preventionists. Analyses of sensitivity, specificity, and positive predictive value (PPV) were conducted for the semiautomated surveillance system, and its effect on reducing the workload for chart review was evaluated.

RESULTS

A total of 575 SSI events (1·42%) were identified by conventional SSI surveillance. The sensitivity of the semiautomated SSI surveillance was 96·7%, and the PPV of the screening algorithms alone was 4·1%. Semiautomated SSI surveillance reduced the chart review workload of the infection preventionists from 1,283 to 482 person hours per year (a 62·4% decrease).

CONCLUSIONS

Compared to conventional surveillance, semiautomated surveillance using electronic screening algorithms followed by chart review of selected cases can provide high-validity surveillance results and can significantly reduce the workload of infection preventionists.