The prevalence of surgical site infections (SSIs) at the Pontiac Health Care Centre, a rural hospital, was compared with rates obtained by large multicentre studies. Postoperative nosocomial infection (NI) rates were also calculated.
A review of all surgical interventions involving an incision, excluding ophthalmological procedures, performed between October 2001 and March 2003 (n = 831) was undertaken. Various clinical parameters were recorded. Infection rates were calculated. Data were analyzed using either the chi2 or Student's t test.
The overall SSI rate was 5.54%: 3.50% in clean cases (C), 6.77% in clean-contaminated cases (CC), and 14.58% in contaminated or dirty cases (D). The postoperative NI rate was 6.62% (C, 3.68%; CC, 9.90%; D, 16.67%). The mean duration of surgery was significantly higher among patients with SSIs and with NIs than those without infections for CC (133 +/- 95 v. 78 +/- 60 min, p