ICMR study reveals 15 lakh annual surgical site infections in India

NEW DELHI: A recent report by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has revealed that approximately 15 lakh patients in India suffer from

Surgical Site Infections

(SSIs) annually.
The report highlights that SSIs occur when bacteria infect the incision site following surgery, leading to complications.
According to the ICMR report, the SSI rate in India is 5.2 per cent, which is higher than many high-income countries.
The report has also mentioned that the SSI rate is 54.2 per cent for

orthopaedic surgeries

, which is a matter of concern globally.

To tackle this issue, ICMR has launched an

SSI surveillance network

aimed at informing and supporting doctors across the country to mitigate and prevent such infections.
As part of this initiative, ICMR conducted a multicentric cohort study involving 3,090 patients at three prominent hospitals: AIIMS Delhi, Kasturba Hospital in Manipal, and Tata Memorial Hospital in Mumbai.
The study also found that patients who underwent orthopaedic surgeries found to be at higher risk of developing SSI, with a rate of 54.2.
The findings of the study were revealing: 161 patients (5.2 per cent) developed SSIs post-surgery, with orthopaedic surgeries showing a particularly high incidence.
Specifically, surgeries lasting longer than 120 minutes were also found to pose an increased risk of infection.
“The study found that debridement surgeries, especially those involving amputation, open reduction internal fixation (ORIF), or closed reduction internal fixation (CRIF), had the highest rate of SSIs, at 54.2 per cent. Clean and polluted wound classifications, along with surgeries lasting longer than 120 minutes, were significantly linked to an increased risk of infection,” the ICMR report noted.
The study also emphasised the role of post-discharge surveillance in identifying SSIs, with 66 per cent of cases being detected after patients left the hospital.
It further concluded that combination surgeries, where multiple procedures are performed simultaneously, were associated with a higher risk of developing SSIs.
“Post-discharge surveillance helped with the detection of 66 per cent of SSI cases. Combination surgeries were seen to increase the risk of SSIs in patients,” said the study.