Postop infection linked to risk of long-term infection, mortality

Editor's Note

Infection after surgery during postoperative days 0 to 30 is significantly associated with long-term infection and mortality, this study finds.

In this analysis of 659,486 patients from the Veterans Health Administration, 3.6% had a 30-day infection, 6.6% had a long-term infection, and 3.8% died during follow-up.

At any time during the follow-up, those with 30-day postoperative infections had a 3.2-fold higher risk of 1-year infection and a 1.9-fold higher risk of mortality, compared with those who had no 30-day infections.

These long-term infections should be accounted for in the costs and benefits of infection prevention programs, the researchers say. In addition, preventive efforts in the first 30 days after surgery may improve long-term outcomes.