Risk Factors for Wound Infection After Surgery for Colorectal Cancer: A Matched Case – Control Study

Elective surgery for colorectal cancer involves a semi-contaminated operation, with a 3% to 26% incidence of postoperative wound infection (1). Risk factors for postoperative wound infection include high body-mass index (BMI) (2, diabetes mellitus(3), body-weight loss(4), advanced age(5), smoking(6), blood transfusion(7), and high intraoperative blood loss (8). The development of wound infections can cause considerable discomfort and stress, as well as prolong the hospital stay, substantially increasing healthcare costs. Measures to prevent wound infections have been refined by adjusting the duration of antibiotic treatment and improving techniques for preoperative bowel preparation and drain placement. We performed a matched case-control study to clarify risk factors for perioperative wound infection in patients who underwent standard surgery for colorectal cancer, performed by the same operator at the same hospital. All patients received similar levels of perioperative care.