The prevalence and etiology of surgical site infection among patients undergoing open gastrointestinal surgery. A descriptive study at a tertiary care center

Introduction: Surgical site infection (SSI) is a common postoperative complicationand various factors are related to it. This study was conducted to determinethe rate of SSI in abdominal surgery, the micro-organisms involved, and theirassociation with different factors.Material and Methods: This is a single-centered, prospective, descriptive studydone between January 2023 to October 2024. Patients undergoing openabdominal surgery in GI and General surgery department of KMCTH wereincluded in study and SSI and microorganisms involved and its association withvarious demographic factors, BMI, and type of surgery were analyzed. Results: Among 114 patients, SSI was clinically diagnosed in 22 (19.3 %) patients,with mean age of 45 years. Among the cases, 72.7 % were superficial, 18%were deep, and 9.3 % were organ space. SSI was present in 11.9% of cleancontaminated,18.9 % of contaminated, and 28.6 % of dirty wounds. Coagulasenegative staphylococcus aureus was the most common organism isolatedduring microbiological analysis. Conclusion: This study found a significant SSI rate of 19.3% in open abdominalprocedures. The prevalence of ESKAPE pathogens, notably coagulasenegative Staphylococcus aureus, highlights the need for strict monitoring andinfection control measures to reduce risks and improve surgical outcomes.