Surgical site infection in elderly patients

Background The surgical site infection (SSI) is an unforeseen event that complicates patient post-operative care with a negative impact on results and may cause further surgery which could lead to the patient’s death [1]. Furthermore, the bacteriological analysis of the surgical wound could be a predictive method of the surgical site infection after elective abdominal surgery [2,3]. Moreover postoperative infections lead to a growth of hospital costs, home medical care, social and psychological. Starting from this background it is clear how SSI control has a professional, ethical and economic value. Antibiotic prophylaxis is useful in preventing wound infection and limiting the negative effects of infection on the patient. The aim of this study is to evaluate the role of age and antibiotic prophylaxis in the incidence of surgical wound infection in patients undergoing elective abdominal surgery. Microbiological analysis of wound, surgical treatment, hospital and anesthesiological risk were evaluated.