Prophylaxis and management of wound infections after elective colorectal surgery: a survey of the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons membership.

Background: Postoperative wound infections are a widespread and costly problem, especially in colorectal surgery. Despite their prevalence, there are few data regarding appropriate management and prevention strategies.

Materials And Methods: In order to assess current attitudes and practices about this subject, and as a guide to designing a randomized trial to gather evidence in order to support data-driven protocol development, an e-mail survey was sent to the membership of the American Society of Colorectal Surgeons to assess current attitudes and practices pertaining to prevention and management of wound infections.