Surgical Site Infections in Saudi Arabia: A Review

Abstract

Introduction: Surgical site infections (SSIs) are infections that occur postoperatively in the part of the body where the surgery took place. Methods: This study included searching PubMed for the keywords (SSIs rate) AND (Saudi Arabia) from January 1, 2006, to July 1, 2021. Results: The rate of SSIs in Saudi Arabia was very low in some studies (e.g. the rate was 0% in one of the studies) and high rate in other studies (e.g. the rate was 32.2% in one of the studies). The rate of SSIs in Saudi Arabia was dissimilar in different cities and for different types of surgeries. Conclusion: More researches are needed to study not only the rate of SSIs but also the associated risk factors to support the actions of the health team to reduce SSI occurrence and to decrease its complications if it is occurred.