CDC Releases New Guidelines to Prevent Surgical Infections

Surgical site infections (SSIs) continue to be an issue in healthcare. In an effort to address this often preventable complication, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) conducted a systematic review of the literature published in MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL and the Cochrane Library from 1998 through 2014.  As a result, the CDC’s updated recommendations have been published in JAMA Surgery.  The study’s authors note, “It is estimated that approximately half of SSIs are deemed preventable using evidence-based strategies.”

FierceHealthCare summarizes the recommendations as follows:

• Recommend that patients take a full body shower with soap or antiseptic no earlier than the night before surgery.
• Use an alcohol-based product to cleanse skin in the operating room.
• Do not use a topical antimicrobial substance in an incision.
• Do not withhold needed transfused blood products to avoid SSIs.
• Plastic adhesive drapes, with or without antimicrobial properties, are not necessary to prevent SSIs.
• Administer antimicrobial prophylaxis prior to incision for Cesarean sections.
• Maintain the patient’s normal body temperature.

To read the complete article from FierceHealthcare click here.

MLMIC encourages all our insureds to familiarize themselves with these recommendations in an effort to improve patient outcomes and reduce this preventable complication.