Risk of surgical site infections is low for orthopedic surgery in ASCs, but patient factors can contribute to risk, according to research published in the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.
Researchers studied patients who had surgery over the course of 6.5 years, examining the incidence of surgical site infections. The total occurrence of surgical site infections was 0.32 percent.
Independent risk factors such as anatomic area, anesthesia type, age greater than 70, tourniquet time and diabetes were associated with surgical site infections.