Surgical risk index and surgical site infection in postpartum women submitted to cesarean section

Backgound and Objectives: Considering the use of active surveillance assists in infection identification and the need for studies that use Surgical Risk Index (SRI) for assessment of Surgical Site Infection (SSI) in cesareans, this study aims to determine the incidence of SSI and analyze the applicability of SRI in the prediction of SSI in women in the postpartum period after being submitted to a cesarean section at a university hospital between April 2012 and March of 2013. Methods: Prospective cohort study. Information notifying SSI by active surveillance was collected daily from the medical records. After hospital discharge, the mothers were contacted through telephone calls to identify infection criteria within 30 days after the cesarean. Descriptive and comparative analyses were performed. The chi-square test was used to compare groups. Results: 737 cesareans were performed. Telephone contact was achieved with 507 (68.8%) women up to 30 days postpartum, with loss of follow-up of 230 cases (31.2%). The medical consultation in the post-partum period occurred with 188 (37.08%) women, with whom telephone contact was obtained, on average, 17.28 days (SD=8.39) after delivery. It was verified that 21 patients met the criteria for SSI, with a 4.14% rate. A total of 12 cases (57.1%) were classified as superficial SSI, 5 (23.8%) as deep and 4 (19.1%) as infection of organs and cavities. The SRI and its risk variables were not associated with SSI in patients submitted to cesarean sections. Conclusion: The SRI and the risk variables included in this index were not associated to SSI in patients submitted to cesarean sections. KEYWORDS: Cesarean Section; Surgical Wound Infection; Epidemiological Surveillance; Infection Control; Risk Index; Disease Notification.