SSI incidence, risk factors in total knees

Editor's Note

In this 9-year prospective cohort study from Spain, researchers identified surgical site infection (SSI) risk factors that showed the necessity  to strictly comply with wound decontamination and patient preparation protocols, reduce the length of surgical time, and identify patients requiring comprehensive monitoring.

This analysis of 1,969 patients who had knee arthroplasty at a tertiary hospital between 2008 and 2016 found a global SSI risk of 1.0%. There was a declining trend from an SSI risk of 1.8% in 2009 to 0.4% in 2016.

Independent risk factors included hair removal (odds ratio, 3.09) and National Healthcare Safety Network risk index of 2 or more (odds ratio, 9.37).

The standardized infection ratio was 1.14 with respect to US rates.