Most surgical site infections (SSIs) happen at the time of surgery, with our patient’s skin being the most common cause, as well as airborne organisms.

Pre- and perioperative antibiotics along with MRSA screening and proper skin preparation of surgical site are proven to reduce the risks of superficial and deep wound infections.

Surgeon Tools/Recommendations:

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Musculoskeletal Infection Society (MSIS) current recommendations for prevention of SSI incorporate the following:

• Risk mitigation by host optimization
• Appropriate selection of perioperative antibiotics
• Preoperative skin preparation
• Operative environment
• Wound management
• MSIS recently held the international consensus meeting and have provided recommendations for SSI prevention, diagnosis, and treatment.

Overview of relevant recommendations can be found: 2017 CDC Guidelines for Prevention of Surgical Site Infection