PREVENTING INFECTION

Your Doctor doesn’t want you to get an infection; just as much as you don’t want to. They will do everything in their control to minimize the risk of infection and you should too.

Patients should maintain a healthy weight, stop smoking at least 30 days prior to surgery, work with their doctors to keep blood sugar levels under control if diabetic, and take a shower or bath the day before surgery.

Do not shave the surgical site unless you have been specifically told to do so by your clinician. If hair is needed to be removed, the hospital will clipper or use a depilatory cream to remove it. Shaving and shaving cuts could lead to your surgery being cancelled.

Your Surgeon will use aseptic techniques including thorough hand scrubbing, surgical draping, antibacterial washes, steralised equipment and will administer a prophylactic antibiotic to reduce the risk of infection occurring.

An infection is considered to be a Surgical Site Infection (SSI) when it occurs at the site of surgery within 30 days of an operation or within 1 year of an operation if a foreign body (e.g., an artificial heart valve or joint) is implanted as part of the surgery.

Most SSIs (about 70%) are superficial infections involving the skin only. The remaining infections are more serious and can involve tissues under the skin, organs, or implanted material.

The majority of SSIs do not become life threatening.

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF INFECTION

Patients should receive instructions from their doctor before surgery explaining what to look for and what to do if they think they might have an infection

Signs of an infection:

•                   A yellow or green discharge that is increasing.
•                   A change in the odor of the discharge.
•                   A change in the size of the incision.
•                   Redness or hardening of the surrounding area.
•                   The incision is hot to the touch.
•                   Fever
•                   Increasing or unusual pain.

Symptoms usually begin within 5 to 10 days after surgery. In the areas adjacent to the incision, painful lumps may develop in the neck, armpit or groin, representing swollen lymph nodes.

TYPES OF INFECTION 

Nosocomial Infections

This is the term that is used for any infection that is a result of your treatment in a clinic or hospital that is secondary to your initial condition. You are considered to have a nosocomial infection if you develop an infection within approximately forty-eight hours after your procedure or if you develop one thirty days after your discharge date. One quarter of infections are nosocomial infections, and occur in about 2% of all surgical cases in the USA. Less than 1% of Orthopaedic surgical operations have resultant infections.

Everyone has natural occurring bacteria in and on their body. This is considered your normal body flora. You have bacteria living on your skin, in the oral and nasal cavities, the urinary tract and the large bowel. It is thought that most patients that develop a nosocomial infection do so from their own flora.

What Types of Bacteria are most common in Surgical Infections?

Streptococcus pyogenes or. S.pyogenes is responsible for many diseases in humans. They can develop as a mild infection that is topical or they can cause a systematic disease that can sometimes be life threatening. Examples of S.pyogenes infections are impetigo, which usually affects an area of skin and pharyngitis more commonly known as strep throat. These two conditions would be considered mild.

Staphylococcus auerus is also referred to as golden staph and can literally be translated to mean “Golden Cluster Seed.” This bacterium commonly lives in a person’s nose or on the skin. Staph infections can cause minor infections such as carbuncles, boils and pimples or it can cause serious infections such as meningitis, septicemia or pneumonia.