CDC releases new SSI prevention guideline

Editor's Note

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on May 3 published an update to its 1999 guideline for the prevention of surgical site infections.

Among the recommendations:

• Patients should shower or bathe with soap or an antiseptic agent on at least the night before a surgical procedure.
• Antimicrobial prophylaxis should be administered only when indicated and timed so that a bactericidal concentration is established when the incision is made.
• Skin preparation in the OR should be performed with an alcohol-based agent unless contraindicated.
• For clean and clean-contaminated procedures, additional antimicrobial prophylaxis should not be administered after the incision is closed, even in the presence of a drain.
• Topical antimicrobial agents should not be applied to the incision.
• Glycemic control during surgery should be implemented using blood glucose target levels less than 200 mg/dL.
• Normothermia should be maintained in all patients.
• Increased fraction of inspired oxygen should be administered during surgery and after extubation for patients with normal pulmonary function undergoing general anesthesia.
• Blood product transfusions should not be withheld from surgical patients to prevent SSIs.

Importance The human and financial costs of treating surgical site infections (SSIs) are increasing. The number of surgical procedures performed in the United States continues to rise, and surgical patients are initially seen with increasingly complex comorbidities. It is estimated that approximately half of SSIs are deemed preventable using evidence-based strategies.