Abstract
Background/Objective:
Surgical site infection (SSI) is the third most common complication in spinal surgery and often results in poor clinical outcomes, prolonged hospital stays and additional costs. This study evaluated the SSI rate and identified risk factors for spine surgeries performed over a 10-year period.
Methodology
: This was a retrospective cohort review of all patients who underwent spine surgery between January 2014 and December 2023. Patient hospital records were retrieved, and relevant biodata data and clinical information were obtained and entered into SPSS version 25. The surgical site infection rate was determined, and multivariate inferential analysis to assess risk factors for SSI was performed using the chi-square test and Fisher’s exact test, with the level of significance set at a p value < 0.05 and a 95% confidence interval.
Results
A total of 206 patients were studied. The incidence of SSI was 11.7% (24), and most of these infections were superficial incisional SSIs (19, 79.2%). The indication for surgery revealed that 19.4% of the patients with spondylotic disease and 50% of patients with bacterial spondylitis developed SSI (p = 0.042). Similarly, infection rates were significantly greater in the lumbar (14, 22.2%) and thoracic-lumbar (4, 12.9%) spine surgeries (p = 0.009). This was also found to be predictive of SSI (P = 0.001, odds ratio [OR]: 2.20, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.38, 3.47). The median length of hospital stay was 36.5 days for patients with SSIs compared to those without SSIs (23 days) (p = 0.008).
Conclusion
This study revealed a relatively high surgical site infection rate in our practice, with more superficial than deep/organ space organ space infections. These infections were significantly more common in patients with spondylotic disease and lumbar spine surgeries, and patients with these infections had prolonged hospital stays.