The Spine Journal recently published an article examining surgical site infection after spinal surgery.
Researchers examined a search in the Medline and Scopus with keywords derived from a preliminary review of the literature and Medline and MeSH terms.
"Surgical site infections are a common, mutifactorial problem after spine surgery," concluded the study authors.
They identified these key trends:
1. There are several procedure-specific risk factors for SSI.
2. Patients experience significant implications from SSI in their outcomes.
3. SSI diagnosis relies primarily on clinical factors and laboratory values, for example C-Reactive Protein, which aren't universally sensitive.
4. There are novel perioperative infection prophylaxis methods, including local antibiotic administration, that "appear modestly effective."
5. Improved risk stratification, detection and prevention will reduce surgical site infection, according to the study authors.