M A Y 2 0 1 5 O U T P A T I E N T S U R G E R Y . N E T 6 7
The CDC recently reported that SSIs
decreased by 19% in U.S. hospitals
between 2008 and 2013. What were the key
contributing factors to that decline?
A number of national initiatives and private sector
efforts are designed to promote improvements in
surgical care. Plus, because some SSIs are now
reportable to the CDC and used by CMS for public
reporting and payment, attention has increased
on reducing SSI rates.
The CDC's report says hip and knee arthroscopies saw
significant decreases. What are ortho surgical teams
doing right?
Many have implemented care bundles to prevent
SSIs, including the use of appropriate antiseptic
skin preparation solutions, pre-op bathing and
screening of patients for colonization with
Staphylococcus aureus followed by nasal mupirocin
and chlorhexidine bathing before surgery in colonized
patients.
What are the common factors that increase SSI risk?
Increasing patient age, obesity,
immunosuppression and
remote infections are just
some of the patient-level risk
nfections on the Decline, But Risks Persist
Dale W. Bratzler, DO, MPH
National healthcare quality leader and SSI prevention expert
I
Dr. Bratzler (dale-bratzler@ouhsc.edu) is the chief
quality officer at Oklahoma University Physicians in
Oklahoma City. He was a member of the Healthcare
Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee, a co-lead
on the CDC's SSI-prevention guideline and heavily
involved in CMS's Surgical Care Improvement Project.
