by Patricia Griffin Kellicker, BSN
A surgical site infection (SSI) is an infection linked to recent surgery. Most SSIs involve just the skin. Some may infect deep tissue or organs.
The sooner an SSI is treated, the better the outcome.
Surgical Site Infection Near the AnkleCopyright © Nucleus Medical Media, Inc. |
Factors that may increase your chance an SSI are:
An SSI may cause:
Your doctor will ask about your symptoms and past heath. Your wound will be checked.
Tests may include the following:
Treatment options include:
To help reduce your chance of an SSI, your doctor may recommend the following:
American
College of Surgeons
https://www.facs.org
Centers for Disease Control
https://www.cdc.gov
Canadian Society of Plastic Surgeons
http://plasticsurgery.ca
Wounds Canada
https://www.woundscanada.ca
Healthcare-associated infections (HAI). Centers for Disease Control website. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/hai. Accessed October 2, 2019.
Stevens DL, Bisno AL, Chambers HF, et al. Practice guidelines for the diagnosis and management of skin and soft tissue infections: 2014 update by the Infectious Diseases Society of America. Clin Infect Dis. 2014;59(2):e10-e52.
Surgical site infection—prevention. EBSCO DynaMed website. Available at: http://www.dynamed.com/topics/dmp~AN~T316886/Surgical-site-infection-prevention. Accessed October 2, 2019.
Suspected surgical site infection - approach to the patient. EBSCO DynaMed website. Available at: https://www.dynamed.com/topics/dmp~AN~T922624/Suspected-surgical-site-infection-approach-to-the-patient. Accessed October 2, 2019.
Last reviewed September 2019 by
EBSCO Medical Review Board
Donald W. Buck II, MD
Last Updated: 6/12/2020