Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Surgical site infection rates in dogs after surgery study
By Turk, Ryen et al.·Published in Veterinary surgery : VS·2015·Department of Pathobiology.·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Prospective surgical site infection surveillance in dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 846 dogs undergoing surgery were monitored for surgical site infections (SSI) over a 45-week period. Out of these, 26 dogs (about 3%) developed infections, with most being superficial. Factors like low blood pressure during surgery and the type of procedure increased the risk of infection. The majority of infections were caused by staphylococci bacteria. Understanding these risks can help veterinarians take steps to prevent infections after surgery, which can lead to serious complications for pets.
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Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To 1) describe the incidence of surgical site infections (SSI) in dogs undergoing surgery at the Ontario Veterinary College Health Sciences Centre; 2) describe and compare procedure-specific SSI rates; and 3) identify factors associated with development of SSI. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective, cohort study ANIMALS: Dogs (n = 846) undergoing surgery during 45 weeks (September 2010-July 2011). METHODS: Follow-up telephone conversation with dog owners was performed 30 days postoperatively, with additional 1-year follow-up performed for cases with surgical implants. A standardized questionnaire was administered to detect and characterize SSI. RESULTS: SSI were identified in 26 (3.0%) dogs; 11 (42%) were classified as superficial SSI, whereas 13 were deep, and 2 were organ/space. Of the confirmed SSI, only 17 (65%) were documented in the medical records. Hypotension (P = .011), class of surgery (P = .029), and use of an implant (P = .001) increased the risk of SSI. Microbial cultures were submitted for 19 cases (73%) and of those, 74% were staphylococci. CONCLUSIONS: SSI can result in devastating consequences in dogs and understanding risk factors is critical to target prevention practices. Whereas some risk factors such as hypotension are modifiable, others such as class of surgery are not. When possible, active surveillance should be used as part of a hospital infection control program.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25196800/