Identifying the Risk Factors Associated with Surgical Site Infection Following Cesarean Section in Adolescent Mothers.

Study Objective: This study aimed to determine the modifiable risk factors associated with surgical site infection (SSI) after cesarean section in adolescent pregnant patients.

Design: Retrospective case-control study SETTING: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Tepecik Education and Research Hospital, Izmir, Turkey PARTICIPANTS: Pregnant adolescents (≤ 19 years) who underwent cesarean section at our institution between January 2014 and March 2021 INTERVENTIONS AND MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: To determine the modifiable and nonmodifiable risk factors associated with SSI following cesarean section in adolescents. The diagnosis of SSI was made according to the criteria defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Results: SSI was diagnosed in 62 (2.9%) of 2105 adolescent mothers who underwent cesarean section. Univariate and multivariate analyses confirmed that body mass index (BMI) (OR = 2.35; 95% CI, 1.3-4.78), induction of labor (OR = 1.9; 95% CI, 1.2-3.71), and preoperative hemoglobin values less than 10 g/dl (OR = 2.1; 95% CI, 1.2-4.46) were risk factors for SSI in adolescent mothers. Patient- and operation-related risk factors did not reach the level of statistical significance.

Conclusions: BMI, labor induction, and antenatal anemia were independent risk factors for SSI in adolescents. Among these, BMI and anemia were modifiable patient-related risk factors. Addressing obesity in adolescents and treating prenatal anemia could be the first steps toward preventing SSI.