People with a past history of just a single skin infection may be three times more likely to develop a surgical site infection when they have an operation, according to new Johns Hopkins research.
For this study, researchers analyzed information before, during and after surgery for 613 patients. The operations they underwent included cardiac surgery, vascular surgery, neurosurgery or spinal surgery and all were followed for six months after their procedures, which were performed at The Johns Hopkins Hospital and the University of Maryland Medical Center between Feb. 1, 2007 and Aug. 20, 2010. Some 22 percent had a history of skin infection.
Twenty-four patients developed an SSI within 180 days of surgery, and five of them died from the condition. Of those who had a history of skin infection, 6.7 percent got an SSI compared with 3.9 percent of those without a history of skin disease. It made no difference whether the skin infection was recent or had occurred years earlier.
The increased risk suggests there are underlying biological differences in the way individuals respond to skin cuts that need to be better understood in order to prevent SSIs. Even when all of the proper procedures known to prevent SSIs are followed, some patients appear to be much more susceptible than others to contracting an infection.
For this study, researchers analyzed information before, during and after surgery for 613 patients. The operations they underwent included cardiac surgery, vascular surgery, neurosurgery or spinal surgery and all were followed for six months after their procedures, which were performed at The Johns Hopkins Hospital and the University of Maryland Medical Center between Feb. 1, 2007 and Aug. 20, 2010. Some 22 percent had a history of skin infection.
Twenty-four patients developed an SSI within 180 days of surgery, and five of them died from the condition. Of those who had a history of skin infection, 6.7 percent got an SSI compared with 3.9 percent of those without a history of skin disease. It made no difference whether the skin infection was recent or had occurred years earlier.
The increased risk suggests there are underlying biological differences in the way individuals respond to skin cuts that need to be better understood in order to prevent SSIs. Even when all of the proper procedures known to prevent SSIs are followed, some patients appear to be much more susceptible than others to contracting an infection.
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