Frequency of Surgical Site Infections in Patients after Illeostomy Reversal: A Cross-Sectional Study

Objective: To determine the frequency of surgical site infection (SSI) in patients undergoing ileostomy reversal and to compare their clinical characteristics between wound closure techniques.Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted at the Department of General Surgery, Indus Hospital Karachi, from April 2024 to February 2025. Patients aged 18-75 years undergoing ileostomy reversal were included. Clinical characteristics including body mass index, comorbidities (diabetes and hypertension), preoperative laboratory parameters (serum albumin and hemoglobin), and indication for initial stoma formation were recorded. Operative details such as anastomosis technique, level of contamination, wound closure method, and duration of surgery were documented. SSI was defined using standard clinical criteria, including erythema, tenderness, purulent discharge, or positive microbial culture.Results: A total of 120 patients, the median age was 36.0 (22.2–47.7) years. The overall incidence of SSI was 4 (3.3%). Among the SSI cases, 2 (50.0%) were classified as Grade III and 2 (50.0%) as Grade V infections. Primary wound closure was performed in 40 (33.3%) patients, whereas 80 (66.7%) underwent secondary closure. SSI occurred in 3 (7.5%) patients in the primary closure group and 1 (1.3%) patient in the secondary closure group; however, this association was not statistically significant (p = 0.072). Diabetes was significantly more prevalent among patients receiving primary closure (p-value =0.010), while other demographic and clinical variables showed no significant associations with closure type (all p-values >0.05).Conclusion: SSI following ileostomy reversal was found low in our cohort, indicating favorable postoperative outcomes within this setting.