After an academic medical center implemented a multidisciplinary bundle to reduce surgical site infections, rates of SSIs and sepsis after colorectal surgery decreased, according to a study published in JAMA Surgery.
The bundle in the study spanned the phases of perioperative care and included educational materials, preoperative disinfecting showers, antibiotics and wound care.
Researchers examined the bundle from Jan. 1, 2008 to December 31, 2012 and compared before and after the bundle was implemented on July 1, 2011. Of the 559 patients who underwent surgery in that time period, 346 had surgery before the bundle and 213 had surgery after the bundle was implemented. The implementation of the bundle was associated with reduced superficial SSIs (19.3 percent vs. 5.7 percent) and postoperative sepsis (8.5 percent vs. 2.4 percent).
"The preventive SSI bundle was associated with a substantial reduction in SSIs after colorectal surgery," the authors concluded. "The increased costs associated with SSIs support that the bundle represents an effective approach to reduce healthcare costs."