Noha Mohamed Rashed^1,, Ahmed El lithy²

Introduction: Morbidity and mortality were associated with increased surgical site infections (SSIs). Besides, it is a financial problem and has a negative impact on patient quality of life (QoL). Aim of study: It was to evaluate the impact of surgical site infection at Obstetric Department on healthcare costs and patient outcomes. Methods: Retrospective descriptive design was used for nine months survey, from October 2018 to Jun 2019. It included all the infected cases at a certain period, conducted through patient’s files and infection control surveillance at Kasr Al Ainy Obstetric Emergency Hospital. Results: SSI rate was around 0.7% per month, with an average length of stay (LOS) of 21 days which affected the patient outcomes. Total cost for antibiotics ranged from 400 to 7800 Egyptian Pounds per patient. Most common pathogens were Acinetobacter baumannii and Escherichia coli (E. coli) found in the environment and food. The most antibiotics used were Flagyl (metronidazole), Rocephin (ceftriaxone) and Unasyn (Ampicillin/Sulbactam). Conclusions: Surgical site infections have bad health and economic impacts. Environmental sanitation, safety measures for intravenous (IV) solutions, corrective department design, implementation of policies and procedures for infection control are highly recommended.

surgical site, health, infection control, quality of life