The effect of surgical attire usage on the development of surgical site infections. A retrospective study

Abstract text (incl. references and figure legends)

Aim: The present report aimed to examine the effectiveness of a surgical balaclava/hood styled cap for surgical site infections (SSI), compared to the use of a skull cap or bouffant styled cap among patients with proximal femur fracture (AO 31-A) who underwent intramedullary nail fixation. Central to this study was the hypothesis that the use of different types of surgical attire will not affect the occurrence of surgical site infections.

Methods: 1431 patients were included for the study which were divided into two groups. One group was operated by the orthopedics department and the other group was operated by the surgery department. The occurrence or non-occurrence of surgical site infections was assessed by using a combination of possible cultures, reporting and medical letters. Surgical site infections were divided into deep wound infections (DWI) and superficial wound infections (SWI).

Results: The occurrence of DWI was not significantly different between the two groups (1 patient in the orthopedics department vs 8 in the surgery department, p = 0.178). The occurrence of SWI was not significantly different between the two groups (3 patients in the orthopedics department vs 6 in the surgery department, p = 1.000). All other variables that could influence SSI did not differ significantly between the groups.

Conclusions: No statistic significant difference was found in the development of SSI between the two groups. Looking at the cost effectiveness and sustainability, we could lower medical costs and lower our carbon footprint. The exact effect of surgical attire use and SSI deserves further study.

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