Background: Post operative surgical site infection following implant surgery is a major problem in orthopedic surgical practice. Infection occurring after internal fixation of a fracture is a devastating complication and may be difficult to treat. The frequency of occurrence of surgical site infection has decreased with improvements in aseptic technique. The objectives of the study are to determine the incidence of surgical site infection following orthopaedic related implant surgeries and to indentify the predisposing factors.
Methods: The study was a prospective study conducted at the National orthopedic hospital, Enugu. Wound surveillance was carried out for the 97 patients included in this study for a period of 6 months postoperatively. The diagnosis of surgical site infection was in accordance with the CDC's guideline for prevention of surgical site infection published in 1999.
Results: The study included 61 males and 36 females giving a ratio of 1.7:1. The study population was aged 7 to 83 years with a mean age of 38.7 +/- 18.3 years. The infection rate was found to be 9.3% with staphylococcus aureus as the most common causative organism in 55.6% of cases. Two of the nine infected cases required implant removal. Significant factor was a theatre population of more than 6 persons.
Conclusion: Surgical site infection following implant surgery is relatively common in our environment with staphylococcus aureus as the major causative organism. Increased theatre populations increase the risk of implant associated surgical site infection.