Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Updates Guideline for Prevention of Surgical Site Infection

Although it's reported that 1.9% of surgeries had SSIs between 2006 to 2009, it's possible that the number is higher since most SSIs aren't discovered in the hospital. SSIs can be very expensive, costing tens of thousands of dollars.

Unlike the 1999 guidelines, the 2017 guidelines use evidence-based recommendations. "These guidelines integrate clinical experience and patient values with the best available research information and the goal of improving patient outcomes," said Lincoln Surgical's James J. Clanahan, MD, FACS.

2017 guidelines

New recommendations include:

• Having patients take a full-body shower or bath with soap or an antiseptic agent the night before surgery.
• Using an alcohol-based agent to prepare the skin in the operating room.
• Not giving additional prophylactic antimicrobial doses after closing the incision in clean and clean-contaminated surgeries (even if there is a drain).
• Keeping the patient at a normal body temperature.
• Implementing stricter perioperative glycemic control.

"Lincoln Surgical has always recognized the importance of using evidence-based medicine in the delivery of modern medical care," Dr. Clanahan said. "We have been following these recommendations since before the most recent guidelines were issued, and we look forward to working even more closely with our anesthesia and medical colleagues to provide the safest surgical care possible."

Learn more

As there are many unresolved issues in the new guidelines, research will continue to be at the forefront when it comes to reducing SSIs. Learn more about the new guidelines at https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamasurgery/fullarticle/2623725?resultClick=3.