Medical Microbiology & Diagnosis

Surgical Site Infections in Relation to the Timing of Shaving among the Gastrointestinal Emergency Patients through the Midline Incisions- A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial

Abstract

Faruquzzaman, Hossain SM and Mazumder SK

This Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial (RCT) was conducted among the indoor patients of general surgery wards in a tertiary level hospital in Bangladesh to assess the possible link between the surgical site infections among the gastrointestinal emergency patients of surgery through midline incisions and timing of preoperative shaving. Follow up of at least 30 days period after surgery was done in each patient and has been found that 31.7% patients in control group (received razor shaving 24 hrs prior to surgery) and 27.5% (received razor shaving at OT table) patients in experimental group has developed surgical site infections (SSIs) and the overall infection rate was found to be 29.6%. SSIs were found to be only 1.2 fold higher in case of the patients who received razor shaving at least 24 hour prior to surgery in contrast to the patients received razor shaving at OT table. Grade IIId (18.4% and 27.3% respectively) and grade IVb (21.1% and 21.2% respectively) were found to be the most common types of surgical site infections among the gastrointestinal emergency post-surgical patients.