Incidence and Risk Factors for and the Effect of a Program To Reduce the Incidence of Surgical Site Infection after Cardiac Surgery

BACKGROUND: Surgical site infection (SSI) after cardiac surgery (CS) is a serious complication that increases hospital length of stay (LOS), has a substantial financial impact, and increases mortality. The study described here was done to evaluate the effect of a program to reduce SSI after CS. METHODS: In January 2007, a multi-disciplinary CS infection-prevention team developed guidelines and implemented bundled tactics for reducing SSI. Data for all patients who underwent CS from 2006-2008 were used to determine whether there was: 1) A difference in the incidence of SSI in white patients and those belonging to minority groups; 2) a reduction in SSI after intervention; and 3) a statistically significant difference in the incidence of SSI in the third quarter of each year as compared with the other quarters of the year. RESULTS: Of 3,418 patients who underwent CS; 1,125 (32.9%) were members of minority groups and 2,293 (67.1%) were white. Eighty (2.3%) patients developed SSI. There was no significant difference in the incidence of SSI in non-Hispanic white patients and all others (2.1% vs. 2.8%, p=0. 42). The incidence of SSI decreased significantly from 2006 (3.0%) to 2007 (2.5%) and 2008 (1.4%), (p=0.03). Surgical site infection occurred more often in the third quarter of each of the years of the study than in other quarters of each year (3.3 vs. 2.0%, p=0.038). CONCLUSIONS: Implementation of a program to reduce SSI after CS was associated with a lower incidence of SSI across all racial and ethnic groups and over time, but was not associated with a lower incidence of SSI in the third quarter of each year than in the other quarters.