A study published in the Journal of Hospital Infection examined the trends and risk factors associated with Staphylococcus aureus surgical site infections.
Researchers used multivariate logistic regression to identify risk factors for monomicrobial S. aureus SSI from a Switzerland-based multicenter SSI surveillance system. The study period was six years, and researchers collected data on 229,765 surgical patients, of whom 499 developed monomicrobial S. aureus SSI.
Researchers found 459 of the 499 S. aureus SSIs were due to meticillin-susceptible S. aureus and remaining 40 were due to meticillin-resistant S. aureus.
Independent protective factors for S. aureus SSI were:
• Older age
• Laparoscopy/minimally invasive surgery
• Non-clean surgery
• Correct timing of preoperative antibiotic prophylaxis
Independent risk factors for S. aureus SSI were:
• Male sex
• Higher American Society of Anesthesiologists' score
• Reoperation for non-infectious reasons
• Procedure type (cardiac surgery, laminectomy and hip or knee arthroplasty had two-to nine-fold increased odds of S. aureus SSI compared with other procedures)