Developing an infection within a month after surgery hikes death risk, study shows

Patients who developed an infection in the month after surgery were nearly twice as likely to die as patients who did not develop an infection 30 days after surgery, according to a study published in JAMA Surgery.

Researchers examined data of 659,486 veterans undergoing major surgery through the Veterans Health Administration from January 2008 to December 2015.

Of the 659,486 veterans studied:

● 23,815 (3.6 percent) developed an infection within 30 days of the surgery
● 43,796 (6.6 percent) developed a long-term infection ( an infection after one month but within one year of surgery)
● 24,810 (3.8 percent) died during follow-up

Researchers found that patients who developed an infection within one month of the surgery had a 1.9-fold higher risk of death compared to those who did not have an infection within 30 days after surgery.

The 30-day infection patient group also had a 3.2-fold higher risk of developing a long-term infection.

The most frequent infections developed within one month of surgery were:

● Surgical site infection (40.2 percent)
● Urinary tract infection (27.5 percent)
● Pneumonia (14.8 percent)
● Bloodstream infection (8 percent)

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