Prior inpatient admission increases the risk of post-operative infection in hepatobiliary and pancreatic surgery

The role of preoperative albumin and white blood cell count in surgical site infections following whipple surgery

Whipple surgery is associated with a high risk of surgical sites infections (SSIs). Nutritional deficiency has been associated with an increased risk of wound infections. This study aims at exploring the role of preoperative albumin levels in predicting the risk of SSIs following Whipple surgery. A total of 23,808 individuals were identified from the ACS-NSQIP database from years 2011 to 2017. The primary exposure was pre-operative albumin while the secondary exposure was white blood cell (WBC) count. The primary outcome was divided into superficial and deep surgical site infections (S/D SSI) and organ-space SSI. All statistical analyses were conducted using IBM Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 26. Levels of pre-operative serum albumin less than 3.73 g/L, dirty and contaminated wounds and longer operative time were associated with increased odds for developing S/D SSIs (OR = 1.14, OR = 1.17, OR = 1.06, respectively, p-value < 0.05). Pre-operative WBC level (/L) was associated with a risk of developing an organ-space SSI but not S/D SSI (OR = 1.02, p-value  0.003). This study demonstrates the predictive role of pre-operative albumin in developing S/D SSIs and highlights the need to develop therapeutic strategies to optimize the pre-operative nutritional health status of patients undergoing Whipple surgery.

Length of preoperative hospital stay is the dominating risk factor for surgical site infection in neurosurgery: A cohort data-driven analysis

Background:

The number of days of preoperative hospital stay (PHS) is a modifiable variable that has shown contradictory surgical site infection (SSI) risk factor results in neurosurgery. We sought to pinpoint the day of PHS length related with a marked increase of risk of SSI.

Methods:

From a tertiary teaching hospital, January 2015–December 2017, prospectively collected nonpercutaneous neurosurgery procedures with standard antibiotic prophylaxis and 1-year follow-up were evaluated. SSI risk factors were assessed through multiple logistic regression models with different thresholds of PHS.

Results:

A total of 1012 procedures were included in the study. Incidence of SSI was 4.4%. The median PHS was higher in those with SSI than in those without (1 day, interquartile range [IQR]: 7 vs. 0 days, IQR: 1, respectively, P = 0.002). By the amount of six days of PHS, this exposure risk past the threshold of significance for impact on wound infection (OR 2.8; CI 1.23–6.39, P = 0.014). Operative time past 4 h (OR 2.11; CI 1.12-3.98; P = 0.021), and in some models, previous surgery at same admission were also identified by multivariate analysis as increasing postoperative SSI risk.

Conclusion:

The gradual increase of the SSI OR associated with longer PHS days was the highest risk factor of SSI in our cohort of patients. Studies directed to reduce this complication should consider the PHS.

Distinction of Risk Factors for Superficial vs Organ-Space Surgical Site Infections After Pancreatic Surgery

Importance

Surgical site infection (SSI) rates are increasingly used as a quality metric. However, risk factors for SSI in pancreatic surgery remain undefined.

Objective

To stratify superficial and organ-space SSIs after pancreatectomy and investigate their modifiable risk factors.

Design, Setting, and Participants

This retrospective analysis included 201 patients undergoing pancreatic surgery at a university-based tertiary referral center from July 1, 2013, through June 30, 2015, and 10 371 patients from National Surgical Quality Improvement Program-Hepatopancreaticobiliary (NSQIP-HPB) Collaborative sites from January 1, 2014, through December 31, 2015.

Main Outcomes and Measures

Superficial, deep-incisional, and organ-space SSIs, as defined by NSQIP.

Results

Among the 201 patients treated at the single center (108 men [53.7%] and 93 women [46.3%]; median age, 48.6 years [IQR, 41.4-57.3 years]), 58 had any SSI (28.9%); 28 (13.9%), superficial SSI; 8 (4%), deep-incisional SSI; and 24 (11.9%), organ-space SSI. Independent risk factors for superficial SSI were preoperative biliary stenting (odds ratio [OR], 4.81; 95% CI, 1.25-18.56; P = .02) and use of immunosuppressive corticosteroids (OR, 13.42; 95% CI, 1.64-109.72; P = .02), whereas soft gland texture was the only risk factor for organ-space SSI (OR, 4.45; 95% CI, 1.35-14.66; P = .01). Most patients with organ-space infections also had grades B/C fistulae (15 of 24 [62.5%] vs 4 of 143 [2.8%] in patients with no SSI; P < .001). Organ/space but not superficial SSI was associated with an increased rate of sepsis (7 of 24 [29.2%] vs 4 of 143 [2.8%]; P < .001) and prolonged length of hospital stay (12 vs 8 days; P = .04). Among patients in the NSQIP-HPB Collaborative, 2057 (19.8%) had any SSI; 719 (6.9%), superficial SSI; 207 (2%), deep-incisional SSI; and 1287 (12.4%), organ-space SSI. Preoperative biliary stenting was confirmed as an independent risk factor for superficial SSI (OR, 2.07; 95% CI, 1.58-2.71; P < .001). In this larger data set, soft gland texture was an independent risk factor for superficial SSI (OR, 1.45; 95% CI, 1.14-1.85; P = .002) but was more strongly and significantly associated with organ-space SSI (OR, 2.32; 95% CI, 1.88-2.85; P < .001).

Conclusions and Relevance

Preoperative biliary stenting and coriticosteroid use increase superficial SSI, even in patients receiving perioperative piperacillin-tazobactam. Additional measures, including extended broad-spectrum perioperative antibiotic treatment, should be considered in these patients. Organ/space SSIs appear to be related to pancreatic fistulae, which are not modifiable. Reporting these different subtypes as a single, overall rate may be misleading.

Repeat gram-negative hospital-acquired infections and antibiotic susceptibility: A systematic review

Repeat HAIs among frequently hospitalized patients may be contributing to the high rates of antibiotic resistance seen in gram-negative bacteria (GNB) in hospital settings. This systematic review examines the state of the literature assessing the association between repeat GNB HAIs and changes in antibiotic susceptibility patterns. A systematic search of English language published literature was conducted to identify studies in peer-reviewed journals from 2000 to 2015. Studies must have assessed drug resistance in repeat GNB infections longitudinally at the patient level. Two researchers independently reviewed search results for papers meeting inclusion criteria and extracted data. Risk of bias was assessed using a modified quality assessment tool based on the Checklist for Measuring Study Quality and the Quality Assessment Checklist for Cases Series. From 3385 articles identified in the search, seven met inclusion criteria. Five reported lower antibiotic susceptibility in repeated infections, one found a change but did not specify in which direction, and one reported no change. All studies were of low to average quality. Despite the dearth of studies examining repeat GNB infections, evidence suggests that repeat infections result in lower antibiotic susceptibility among hospitalized patients. Larger scale studies with strong methodology are warranted.

Antibacterial Prophylaxis for Surgical Site Infection in the Elderly: Practical Application

Surgical site infections are among the most common healthcare-associated infections and are linked with increased length of hospitalization, re-admission, mortality and significant financial burden. Risk factors for the occurrence of surgical site infections include variables related to the surgical procedure as well as host factors. Increasing age is associated with the occurrence of surgical site infections. The aim of this review is to give an update on the antibiotic prophylaxis for surgical site infection in elderly people. We focused on specific issues and practical applications, such as the importance of targeting the antimicrobial agent to the susceptibility pattern of colonizing flora in selected cases and the need for dosage modifications.