From the patient ’s perspective , an infection delays healing , can increase time away from work or family , and can cause additional pain and complications ( eg , sepsis , long-term disabilities , death ) .
urgical site infections ( SSIs ) continue to cause significant patient harm despite many advances in Sinfection prevention .
The negative effects of SSIs on morbidity , mortality , and the cost of care has kept SSI reduction a top priority for health care organizations worldwide .
A 2011 systematic review found that approximately 55 % of SSIs in the United States may be preventable by using evidence -based guidelines .
[Does nasal decontamination reduce the incidence of infections after cardiac surgery?].
INTRODUCTION Mupirocin applied to the anterior nares four times daily usually eliminates Staphylococcus aureus , including methicillin resistant , within 48 hours . Prophylactic intranasal mupirocin is safe , inexpensive and effective in reducing the overall sternal wound infection after open-heart surgery . This study was design ed to determine whether decreasing nasal bacterial colonization by applying mupirocin intra nasally decreases mediastinal , sternal , pulmonary and cutaneous infections after open-heart surgery . MATERIAL & METHODS After institutional approval and informed consent , 392 patients were included in a r and omized , prospect i ve study . Nasal cultures were taken for all patients before surgery . Patients were divided in two groups : Group I ( n = 190 ) receiving mupirocin in the anterior nares 4 times daily for 48 hours before surgery ; Group II ( n = 202 ) was the control group . Patients were followed for a month after surgery . All mediastinal , sternal , pulmonary and cutaneous infections were documented and treated with appropriate antibiotics . A Student test for quantitative data and a chi2 test for qualitative data were used for statistical analysis . p < or = 0.05 was considered significant . RESULTS The two groups had the same demographic characteristics and risk factors . Nasal carriage of Staphylococcus was 36.2 % in the two groups . Neither mediastinitis nor sternitis were noticed in any of the two groups . There was no statistical difference between the groups according to the frequency of the cutaneous infections ( Group I : 19/190 - Group II : 13/202 ) and pneumonia ( Group I : 7/190 - Group II : 13/202 ) . In patients who had nasal carriage of Staphylococcus , nasal decontamination has not shown a statistical difference of cutaneous infections of the lower limbs nor pneumonia . Although nasal decontamination reduced the incidence of sternal wound infection ( Gr I 0/190 - Gr II 4/202 ; p = 0.017 ) . Staphylococcus aureus , in the control group , induced more cutaneous infections ( 30.8 % vs 11.7 % ; p = 0.048 ) . CONCLUSION The usage of mupirocin for nasal decontamination before open-heart surgery reduces the incidence of the sternal wound infection , and does not seem to affect the frequency of cutaneous infections of the lower limbs nor pneumonia after this surgery
From the patient ’s perspective , an infection delays healing , can increase time away from work or family , and can cause additional pain and complications ( eg , sepsis , long-term disabilities , death ) .
urgical site infections ( SSIs ) continue to cause significant patient harm despite many advances in Sinfection prevention .
The negative effects of SSIs on morbidity , mortality , and the cost of care has kept SSI reduction a top priority for health care organizations worldwide .
A 2011 systematic review found that approximately 55 % of SSIs in the United States may be preventable by using evidence -based guidelines .