Two recent studies published in the July issues of the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery suggest high blood sugar and obesity may be linked to a higher risk of surgical site infections.
For the first study "Relationship of Hyperglycemia and Surgical-Site Infection in Orthopaedic Surgery," researchers reviewed data on 790 adult patients who had isolated orthopedic injuries requiring acute operative intervention. Surgical site infections developed in 13 of 294 patients (4.4 percent) who had more than one glucose value greater than or equal to 200 mg/dL and eight of 496 patients (1.6 percent) without more than one glucose value greater than or equal to 200 mg/dL. The authors concluded that hyperglycemia was an independent risk factor for thirty-day surgical site infections in orthopedic trauma patients without a history of diabetes.
In the second study "Obesity, Diabetes, and Preoperative Hyperglycemia as Predictors of Periprosthetic Joint Infection," researchers analyzed 7,181 hip and knee replacements and found that 52 post-operative joint infections occurred within the first year and that the infection rate increased from 0.37 percent in patients with a normal body index to 4.66 percent in the morbidly obese group.
For the first study "Relationship of Hyperglycemia and Surgical-Site Infection in Orthopaedic Surgery," researchers reviewed data on 790 adult patients who had isolated orthopedic injuries requiring acute operative intervention. Surgical site infections developed in 13 of 294 patients (4.4 percent) who had more than one glucose value greater than or equal to 200 mg/dL and eight of 496 patients (1.6 percent) without more than one glucose value greater than or equal to 200 mg/dL. The authors concluded that hyperglycemia was an independent risk factor for thirty-day surgical site infections in orthopedic trauma patients without a history of diabetes.
In the second study "Obesity, Diabetes, and Preoperative Hyperglycemia as Predictors of Periprosthetic Joint Infection," researchers analyzed 7,181 hip and knee replacements and found that 52 post-operative joint infections occurred within the first year and that the infection rate increased from 0.37 percent in patients with a normal body index to 4.66 percent in the morbidly obese group.
More Articles on Surgical Site Infections:
Preventable Harm Initiative Challenges Traditional Definitions of Preventability
Infection Rates at Tennessee Hospitals Below National Baseline
10 Common Roadblocks to Achieving Surgery Center Accreditation
