Surgical Site Infections: Frequency, Risk Factors and Management in the General Surgery Department of the Mamou Regional Hospital

Introduction: The general definition of surgical site infections (SSI) includes any infection at the operated site, occurring within 30 days following the procedure or within one year if there has been placement of an implant or 'a prosthesis. Surgical site infection (SSI) represents one of the main healthcare-associated infections (HAI). Material and Methods: The general surgery department of the Mamou Regional Hospital (HRM) served as the setting for our study. This was a prospective, descriptive study lasting 6 months, from May 1 to October 31, 2016. The aim of the study was to help improve surgical site infections in the department. Results: We collected 175 interventions, 27 of which developed an SSI, or 15.42%. The average age of our patients was 33.52 years with extremes of 7 and 82 years, the most affected age group was between 11 and 20 years, i.e. a frequency of 29.63%. Patients in the dirty surgery class were the most represented with a rate of 44.44%. Deep surgical site infection was the most common with 48.15%. Conclusion: Infection of the surgical site remains one of the postoperative complications most feared by surgeons because it ruins the success of the surgical procedure and compromises the functional or vital prognosis. We found an average ISO frequency compared to the African series.