Incidence of surgical-site infections and the validity of the National Nosocomial Infections Surveillance System risk index in a general surgical ward in Santa Cruz, Bolivia.

Objectives: To estimate the frequency of and risk factors for surgical-site infections (SSIs) in Bolivia, and to study the performance of the National Nosocomial Infections Surveillance (NNIS) System risk index in a developing country.

Design: A prospective study with patient follow-up until the 30th postoperative day.

Setting: A general surgical ward of a public hospital in Santa Cruz, Bolivia.