Use of Antimicrobial Prophylaxis for Major Surgery

Abstract

Surgical site infections (SSIs) are a major contributor to patient injury, mortality, and health care costs. Of the nearly 30 million operations in the United States each year, more than 2% are complicated by an SSI.^1-5 Mortality rates are 2 to 3 times higher in patients in whom an SSI develops compared with uninfected patients, and hospital readmission rates are significantly increased.^6-8 Surgical site infections increase length of stay by an average of 7 days and charges by approximately $3000.^6,9 When an SSI is diagnosed after hospital discharge, outpatient and emergency department visits, use of radiology services, hospital readmissions, and use of home health care services increase significantly, as do total health care costs.¹⁰ The attributable costs of an SSI may be more than $30 000 for patients undergoing cardiac or orthopedic operations.^11-14