The following stories and studies on surgical site infections were published in the last three months, starting with the most recent.
1. Treating Staphylococcus aureus colonization in patients prior to surgery is a common step to prevent SSIs, and a study identified a one-day nasal treatment that is more effective and easier to follow than the traditional five-day approach.
2. Patients with complications of diabetes have an increased risk of SSIs after foot and ankle surgery, a recent study found.
3. An updated guideline from the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology, the Infectious Diseases Society of America, the American Hospital Association, the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology and The Joint Commission provides 15 best practices to prevent SSIs.
4. The Association of periOperative Registered Nurses gives 11 tips to help provider organizations prevent SSIs.
5. Joseph Sabik III, MD, chairman of the department of thoracic and cardiovascular surgery at the Cleveland Clinic and director of Cleveland Clinic's cardiothoracic training program, offers three tips to help prevent SSIs after cardiac surgery.
6. Delays prior to surgery and the type of antibiotic prophylaxis administered prior to surgery may affect SSI rates, a study found.
7. Paper gowns allow significantly less bacterial contamination than cloth gowns, and researchers recommended using them for all surgeries to reduce contamination and the risk of SSIs.