Warmer weather linked to increase in SSIs

Editor's Note

Temperatures above 90^o F were associated with a 28.9% increase in odds for surgical site infections (SSIs) compared to temperatures less than 40^o F in this study.

Analyzing data on millions of patients in the National Inpatient Sample database from 1998 to 2011, researchers found that SSIs were seasonal, with 26.5% more SSIs in August than in January.

Seasonality and incidence were similar across all regions, age groups, genders, and hospital teaching categories, but seasonality was greatest among patients in their 40s and 50s.

Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology OBJECTIVE To determine whether the seasonality of surgical site infections (SSIs) can be explained by changes in temperature. DESIGN Retrospective cohort analysis. SETTING The National Inpatient Sample database. PATIENTS All hospital discharges with a primary diagnosis of SSI from 1998 to 2011 were considered cases.