Abstract

Surgical site infections (SSI)  and  wound dehiscence are one of the most frequently identified postoperative complications.
DFINITION: Surgical site infections are defined as infections occurring up to 30days after surgery and affecting either the incision or deep tissue at the operation site.
Surgical site infections are presented with,
A) Erythema or induration
B) Serous oozing
C) Presence of pus
D) Wound dehiscence(separation of edges of suture line by more than1cm superficial or  deep).
Various risk factors are responsible for  surgical site infections(SSI)  and  wound dehiscence such as  emergency surgery,malnutrition, low  socioeconomic status, previous major abdominal surgeries, less inter-pregnancy interval , systemic diseases,etc.
The progression of a wound to an infected state and then wound dehiscence , involves a multitude of microbial and host factors such as type, site, size and depth of found, the extent of nonviable exogenous contamination , level of blood perfusion to the wound , general health and the   immune status of the host , obesity , advanced age, diabetes mellitus , malnutrition , prolonged surgery, prolonged preoperative stay, infection at a remote site, duration of surgery, surgical technique, inappropriate use of antimicrobial prophylaxis, perioperative ,temperature, stage of labor in which  the  patient  was taken for surgery, duration of labour prior to surgery, poor postoperative glycemic control. All the factors pose a substantial risk with regard to prolonged hospital stay, morbidity , mortality , costs and inappropriate usage of broad spectrum antibiotics leading to anti-microbial resistance