Incidence of early postoperative infection in orthopedic surgery

Background Surgical site infections (SSIs) are prevalent consequences postsurgery, leading to an average hospital stays extension of 1–2 weeks and markedly increasing readmission, including a 60% increased likelihood of requiring ICU admission. Aim The purpose of this study was to evaluate the occurrence of early postoperative infections in orthopedic surgeries. Patients and methods This is a cross-sectional study included 2369 cases who underwent orthopedic surgeries at the Orthopedic Surgery Department, Faculty of Medicine, Tanta University, Egypt. The patients were categorized into two groups: group A consisted of 1546 cases who underwent emergency surgeries at the Emergency Hospital, Tanta University, and group B included 823 cases who had elective surgeries at Tanta University Hospitals. Results The study found that the overall incidence of SSIs was 14.18%. Of those affected, 63.9% had superficial infections, while 36.1% developed deep infections requiring surgical intervention. The infection rate for emergency surgeries was 17.4%, whereas it was 8% for elective orthopedic surgeries. Conclusions The incidence of SSIs in this cohort was 14.18%. Superficial infections accounted for 63.9% of cases, while 36.1% of patients experienced deep infections. The infection rate was higher for emergency orthopedic surgeries (17.4%) compared to elective procedures (8%).