ABSTRACT
Postoperative surgical site infections (SSIs) are a major cause of prolonged hospitalization, morbidity, and mortality. In 2009, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services initiated a steering committee solely dedicated to the elimination of hospital-acquired infections (HAIs)1 and created standardized denitions to assist in surveillance (Table 31.1). e national survey included 183 hospitals of small, medium, and large sizes to calculate the incidence of HAI. e data from this survey showed that SSIs ranked as the number one cause of HAIs along with pneumonia with an estimated cases of 157,500 SSIs in 2011.2
In this chapter, the various methods and practices used to prevent SSIs will be discussed in addition to specic details pertaining to cesarean sections’ recommendations for SSI in obese patients and other obstetrical procedures.
