Surgical wound infections in King Fahad Hospital at Al-Baha.

he risk of infection is generally based on the susceptibility of a surgical wound to microbial contamination. Clean surgery carries a 1-5% risk of postoperative wound infection, and in dirty procedures that are significantly more susceptible to endogenous contamination, 27% risk of infection has been estimated.1 The Guideline for Prevention of Surgical Site Infection, 1999 issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) classified surgical wound infections as being either incisional (involving skin, subcutaneous tissue, or deeper fascia, and muscle tissue) or organ/space, involving any internal organs or anatomical spaces.2 Despite the frequency, and prevalence of endogenous anaerobes in surgical wound infections, the CDC guideline for the prevention of surgical site infection (SSI) has recognized Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), coagulase negative Staphylococci, Enterococcus species (Enterococcus spp.), Escherichia coli (E. coli), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa), and Enterobacter species (Enterobacter spp.) as the most frequently isolated pathogens.2 The aim of this study was to determine the etiologies of wound infections, and their susceptibility against antibiotics that used as a prophylaxis in our hospital. This study was carried out at King Fahad Hospital, Al-Baha, Kingdom Saudi Arabia of 694 patients' swabs who undergone surgical treatment (abdominal, vascular, orthopedic, and reparative surgery) from September 2003 to August 2004. All deep wounds processed in aerobic and anaerobic conditions. The age of patients was between 1-120 (average 45) years old. The cultures were evaluated by standard microbiological methods. The identification, and susceptibility tests of microorganisms was performed by either of Microscan (Dade Behring), and BD Phoenix [BD Diagnostic Systems, Sparks, Md. (Becton Dickinson)] automated systems and API (Analytical Profile Index, bioMeriuex, France) systems with standard diagnostic microbiological laboratory methods (for example, coagulase, oxidase, catalase). Disc diffusion method as described by National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards (NCCLS).3 In disc diffusion method, all organisms were tested on Muller-Hinton Agar (Becton, Dickinson, USA), and the following discs were used (obtained from Oxoid, UK): oxacillin (one μg), T Brief Communication