For a study, researchers sought to compare surgical site infection rates before and after the addition of a closure strategy to an existing surgical site infection risk-reduction bundle used after cesarean birth. A single-center retrospective cohort research was carried out to investigate the relationship between a closure protocol and the incidence of surgical site infection following cesarean birth. Before fascia closure, the closing routine includes using new surgical equipment and changing the gloves of the physician and scrub nurse. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria were used to determine surgical site infections. Eligible patients had cesarean deliveries at our facility between July 1, 2013, and December 31, 2015 (n=1,708; pre-implementation group) or June 1, 2016, and April 30, 2018 (n=1,228; postimplementation group).
The surgical site infection rate was 2.3% prior to surgery and 2.7% after surgery (difference 0.4%, 95% CI 1.6 to 0.7%). Postimplementation, the mean [SD] length of the surgical operation was longer (59.6 [23.7] vs 55.6 [21.5] minutes; P<.001). The addition of a closure tray and glove change to the current surgical site infection risk-reduction bundle did not result in a decrease in the occurrence of postcesarean surgical site infection, but it did result in longer operating periods.
