Six Long-Standing Questions about Antibiotic Prophylaxis in Surgery.

Surgical site infections (SSIs) are the most common adverse event occurring in surgical patients. Optimal prevention of SSIs requires the bundled integration of a variety of measures before, during, and after surgery. Surgical antibiotic prophylaxis (SAP) is an effective measure for preventing SSIs.

It is time to define an organizational model for the prevention and management of infections along the surgical pathway: a worldwide cross-sectional survey.

Background: The objectives of the study were to investigate the organizational characteristics of acute care facilities worldwide in preventing and managing infections in surgery; assess participants' perception regarding infection prevention and control (IPC) measures, antibiotic prescribing practices, and source control; describe awareness about the global burden of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and IPC measures; and determine the role of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 pandemic on said awareness.

Methods: A cross-sectional web-based survey was conducted contacting 1432 health care workers (HCWs) belonging to a mailing list provided by the Global Alliance for Infections in Surgery. The self-administered questionnaire was developed by a multidisciplinary team.

Pro-Con Perspectives on Ethics in Surgical Research: Update from the 39th Annual Surgical Infection Society Meeting.

Surgical research is potentially invasive, high-risk, and costly. Research that advances medical dogma must justify both its ends and its means. Although ethical questions do not always have simple answers, it is critically important for the clinician, researcher, and patient to approach these dilemmas and surgical research in a thoughtful, conscientious manner.

2019 update of the WSES guidelines for management of () infection in surgical patients.

In the last three decades, infection (CDI) has increased in incidence and severity in many countries worldwide. The increase in CDI incidence has been particularly apparent among surgical patients. Therefore, prevention of CDI and optimization of management in the surgical patient are paramount.

Operating Room Hand Preparation: To Scrub or to Rub?

Background: The alcohol rub has been proposed as an alternative to the traditional surgical scrub in preparing the hands for surgical procedures. Few reviews have examined critically the evidence that favors or discredits the use of the alcohol rub instead of the traditional scrub.

Methods: A review of available published literature was undertaken to define the evidence for the best methods for hand preparation before surgical procedures.

Antimicrobial Peptides.

Background: Bacterial resistance to available antibiotics has resulted in enhanced efforts at antibiotic stewardship but also has led to investigation into alternative methods for managing surgical infections. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are naturally occurring compounds produced by all prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells that have potential as an alternative to conventional antibiotics.

Methods: The published literature was reviewed for investigations that were relevant to infections commonly seen by surgeons and the potential applicability of AMPs for surgical care.

Risk-adjusted outcomes of inpatient medicare medical admissions.

It is important that actual outcomes of care and not surrogate markers, such as process measures, be used to evaluate the quality of inpatient care. Because of the heterogenous composition of patients, risk-adjustment is essential for the objective evaluation of outcomes following inpatient care. Comparative evaluation of risk-adjusted outcomes can be used to identify suboptimal performance and can provide direction for care improvement initiatives.

Knowledge, awareness, and attitude towards infection prevention and management among surgeons: identifying the surgeon champion.

Despite evidence supporting the effectiveness of best practices of infection prevention and management, many surgeons worldwide fail to implement them. Evidence-based practices tend to be underused in routine practice. Surgeons with knowledge in surgical infections should provide feedback to prescribers and integrate best practices among surgeons and implement changes within their team.

Inpatient and Postdischarge Outcomes Following Elective Craniotomy for Mass Lesions.

Background: Interpretation of hospital quality requires objective evaluation of both inpatient and postdischarge adverse outcomes (AOs).

Objective: To develop risk-adjusted predictive models for inpatient and 90-d postdischarge AOs in elective craniotomy and apply those models to individual hospital performance to provide benchmarks to improve care.

Methods: The Medicare Limited Dataset (2012-2014) was used to define all elective craniotomy procedures for mass lesions in patients ≥65 yr.

Medicare risk-adjusted outcomes in elective major vascular surgery.

Background: Risk-adjusted outcomes of elective major vascular surgery that is inclusive of inpatient and 90-day post-discharge adverse outcomes together have not been well studied.

Methods: We studied 2012-2014 Medicare inpatients who received open aortic procedures, open peripheral vascular procedures, endovascular aortic procedures, and percutaneous angioplasty procedures of the lower extremity for risk-adjusted adverse outcomes of inpatient deaths, 3-sigma prolonged length-of-stay outliers, 90-day post-discharge deaths without readmission, and 90-day post-discharge associated readmissions after excluding unrelated events. Observed and predicted total adverse outcomes for hospitals meeting minimum risk-volume criteria were assessed and hospital-specific z-scores and risk-adjusted adverse outcomes were calculated to compare performance.

Comparison of Risk-Adjusted Outcomes in Medicare Open Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy.

More than 90 per cent of cholecystectomies are performed laparoscopically and this has resulted in concern that surgeons will not have sufficient experience to perform open procedures when clinical circumstances require it. We reviewed the open cholecystectomies (OCs) of Medicare patients from 2010 to 2012 in hospitals with 20 or more cases, created risk-adjusted models for adverse outcomes which were evaluated for 90-days after discharge, and compared the hospital-level outcomes with laparoscopic cholecystectomy performed in the same hospitals for the same period of time. Results demonstrated that inpatient deaths, inpatient prolonged length-of-stay outliers, 90-day postdischarge deaths without readmission, and 90-day readmissions were statistically the same with an overall adverse outcome rate of 21.

Risk-adjusted hospital outcomes in elective carotid artery surgery in patients with Medicare.

Background: The risk-adjusted outcomes by hospital of elective carotid endarterectomy that is inclusive of inpatient and 90-day postdischarge adverse outcomes have not been studied.

Methods: We studied Medicare inpatients to identify hospitals with 25 or more qualifying carotid endarterectomy cases between 2012-2014. Risk-adjusted prediction models were designed for adverse outcomes of inpatient deaths, 3-sigma prolonged duration-of-stay outliers, 90-day postdischarge deaths without readmission, and 90-day postdischarge associated readmissions.

Peri-operative emergency department utilization in inpatient and outpatient Medicare laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

Background: Preoperative emergency department (ED) visits may reflect the patient's biliary disease, or may signal unstable comorbid conditions that have relevance following inpatient laparoscopic cholecystectomy (ILC) and outpatient laparoscopic cholecystectomy (OLC) in Medicare patients.

Methods: We used the Medicare inpatient and outpatient Limited Datasets to identify elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy patients from 2011 to 2014. ED visits for 30-days before the surgical event were identified and correlated with the probability of patients returning to the ED in the 30-days following the procedure.

Risk-adjusted regional outcomes in elective medicare colorectal surgery.

Background: Regional differences in utilization of services in healthcare are commonly understood, but risk-adjusted evaluation of outcomes has not been done.

Methods: Risk-adjusted adverse outcomes (AOs) for elective Medicare colorectal resections were studied for 2012-2014. Risk-adjusted metrics were inpatient deaths, prolonged postoperative length-of-stay, 90-day post-discharge deaths, and 90-day relevant post-discharge readmissions.

The Efficacy of a Novel Surgical Device in Preventing Intraoperative Wound Contamination in an In Vivo Porcine Model.

Background: Surgical site infections (SSIs) remain a morbid and costly complication in abdominal surgery. Topical antibiotic delivery via intraoperative irrigation and barrier wound protection are strategies for preventing SSI. We tested the safety and efficacy of a novel wound protector device with an integrated fluid irrigation platform in a porcine model.

Inpatient and 90-day post-discharge outcomes in elective Medicare spine fusion surgery.

Background Context: Elective spine surgery is a commonly performed operative procedure, that requires knowledge of risk-adjusted results to improve outcomes and reduce costs.

Purpose: To develop risk-adjusted models to predict the adverse outcomes (AOs) of care during the inpatient and 90-day post-discharge period for spine fusion surgery.

Study Design/setting: To identify the significant risk factors associated with AOs and to develop risk models that measure performance.

Laparoscopic Lavage in the Management of Perforated Diverticulitis: a Contemporary Meta-analysis.

Importance: Perforated diverticulitis carries the risk of significant comorbidity and mortality. Although colon resection provides adequate source control, the procedure itself carries morbidity, as well as later stoma reversal procedures. The effectiveness of laparoscopic lavage to treat perforated diverticulitis remains unclear.

Executive Summary of the American College of Surgeons/Surgical Infection Society Surgical Site Infection Guidelines-2016 Update.

Guidelines regarding the prevention, detection, and management of surgical site infections (SSIs) have been published previously by a variety of organizations. The American College of Surgeons (ACS)/Surgical Infection Society (SIS) Surgical Site Infection (SSI) Guidelines 2016 Update is intended to update these guidelines based on the current literature and to provide a concise summary of relevant topics.