Surgical Site Infections in Pediatric Spinal Surgery Patients Drop Following Performance Review

U recently, children with severe scoliosis caused by neurologic and other, similar disorders have had a roughly 1 in 8 chance of acquiring an infection during the course of surgical treatment. According to published reports, national rates for such surgical site infections (SSIs) have been in the 10% to 15% range, depending on the center and the diagnosis. Now, a multidisciplinary team at NewYork‐Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital has taken a leadership role in a national effort to reduce these troublingly high infection rates in one of medicine’s most vulnerable populations. “Treating the most complex, involved children with scoliosis, and surrounded by all the world‐class staff and resources at this institution, we have an obligation to do better,” said Michael G. Vitale, MD, MPH, Associate Chief, Division of Pediatric Orthopaedics, and Chief, Pediatric Spine and Scoliosis Surgery, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital. “These kids may be dealing with neurological problems or heart and lung problems in addition to their deformity. Spinal surgery is a big intervention, and although it promises significant improvement in the lives of these patients, it also carries with it some risk, particularly for surgical site infections. We’re trying to bring that risk down to zero,” said Dr. Vitale, who is also the Ana Lucia Professor of Clinical Orthopaedic Surgery, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.