SURGICAL SITE INFECTIONS IN ABDOMINAL SURGERIES PREVALENCE, RISK FACTORS, AND BACTERIAL PROFILE- A PROSPECTIVE CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY

Introduction: Surgical site infections (SSIs) are a primary cause of unfavorable consequences following surgery. A local pattern must be known in order to design a successful hospital infection program. The management of SSIs has become difficult due to the constantly shifting pattern of infections and the improper use of antibiotics, which has led to the emergence of drug-resistant strains. The study's goals are to determine the most frequent organisms and risk factors linked to SSIs, as well as to estimate prevalence. During a six Methodology: -month study period, this analytical cross-sectional study assessed the associations between different risk factors and the occurrence of SSIs in patients who underwent elective surgery and remained in the Department of General Surgery at least seven days after surgery. We used modified CDC criteria to diagnose SSIs. In cases of probable subsequent septicemia, we collected blood following the wound. We cultured blood samples on brain-heart infusion broth while we cultured pus on MacConkey and blood agar. We used Mueller-Hinton agar and the Kirby-Bauer method to test for antimicrobial sensitivity. In 13 out of 50 postsurgical wound infections, Gram-negative organisms outnumbered Gra Results: m-positive ones. Age, BMI, wound class, American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score, preprocedural WBC count > 10,000, and surgical time are the risk factors linked to this study. Escherichia coli causes the majority of infections (45.7%). This investigation identified gram-negative bacteria that produced extendedspectrum lactamase (ESBL). The majority of microbes were multidrug resistant. Overall, 26% of gastrointestinal procedures resulted in SSIs, according to the current study. Hospitals can develop a successful antibiotic prophylactic policy by using the sensitivity and resistance patterns of the isolated bacteria.