Surgical site infection in orthopaedics

Author(s): Dr. Bipul Borthakur, Dr. Siddharth Kumar, Dr. Manabjyoti Talukdar and Dr. Aritra Bidyananda

Abstract: Surgical site infection is the greatest enemy to success of a surgeon eroding his pride and glory which is a dreaded complication and hence resulting in poor outcomes, increased morbidity, prolonged hospital stay, escalation of hospital expenditure and constrained relationship between the patient and the surgeon, placing an immense economic burden on the patient and the healthcare infrastructure. SSI is of multifactorial origin where Bacteria may access the surgical site through both endogenous and exogenous routes which is predominantly exogenous contacting during the initial operative exposure. Staphylococcus aureus is the leading cause. Implants provide a niche for such organisms where biofilms provide a safe environment for microbial replication. Various modifiable risk factors are there such as DM, Obesity, Malnutrition etc. Imaging not only confirms the diagnosis but also provides details about the extent, severity and any associated complications providing an objective and longitudinal method of monitoring treatment.