A Canadian hospital was able to reduce the rate of surgical site infections by 77 percent for open heart surgeries after implementing a surgical safety best practices bundle, according to a case study.
The study, presented at the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program National Conference, shows that implementing the bundle, based on NSQIP best practices, reduced Vancouver General Hospital's SSI rates from 7 percent to 1.6 percent in nine months.
The program went by the acronym CLEAN, standing for the following:
• Clean hands before touching the dressing, apply chlorhexidine wipes before surgery, use clippers for hair removal instead of shaving, perform nasal decolonization
• Leave dressings on for 72 hours and leave chlorhexidine disinfectant on skin for six hours after the surgery
• Engage patients and staff on best practices for SSI reduction
• Appropriately use antibiotics
• Normal body temperature, normal blood glucose, nutritious meals and no smoking for the patient
By reducing the rate of SSIs, the hospital saved an estimated $300,000 in one year, according to a news release regarding the study.
More article on surgical site infections:
10 Recommendations to Prevent Surgical Site Infections
36 Approaches to Reducing 9 Common Medical Errors
States' Progress in Reducing SSIs After Hysterectomy