Surveillance of surgical site infections among caesarean section in VINCat hospitals: Results from 2008 to 2022.

BACKGROUND

The VINCat programme focuses on monitoring surgical site infections (SSI) in caesarean sections (CS) performed across affiliated hospitals.

METHODS

The study included CS performed from 2008 to 2022, with a follow-up of 30 days after the intervention. The analysis of cumulative incidence rate of SSI was stratified into three 5-year periods (Periods 1-3). SSI was defined according to the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) classification. SSI surveillance was carried out in accordance with the methodology established by the VINCat programme.

RESULTS

From 2008 to 2022, 36,387 CS were surveyed at 34 hospitals: 13,502 in Period 1, 12,985 in Period 2 and 9900 in Period 3. The mean age was 33 years. Overall, SSI incidence fell from 3.81% in Period 1 to 2.66% in Period 3 (rho=-0.838; p<0.001). Superficial SSI decreased from 3.1% in Period 1 to 2.15% in Period 3 (rho=-0.795; p<0.001). The rate of organ-space SSI remained consistent across all three periods, maintaining a rate of 0.27 (rho=-0.092; p=0.745). Culture was performed in 58.9% of infections. The microorganisms most frequently identified were Staphylococcus aureus (20.64%), Coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) (13.52%), and Escherichia coli (11.27%). Antibiotic prophylaxis was appropriate in 73.76% of the procedures.

CONCLUSIONS

Appropriate monitoring of post-CS SSI rates allows the implementation of preventive measures to reduce their incidence.