Association between perioperative hypothermia and surgical site infection after elective abdominal surgery: A prospective cohort study

Authors

Tayyab Siddiqiui, Aga Khan UniversityFollow
K. M. Inam Pal, Aga Khan universityFollow
Fatima Shaukat, Aga Khan UniversityFollow
Hadika Mubashir, Aga Khan UniversityFollow
Alisha Akbar Ali, Aga Khan UniversityFollow
Muhammad Jehangir A. Malik, Aga Khan University
Noman Shahzad, Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust, Scunthorpe, GBR.

Document Type

Article

Department

General Surgery; Haematology/Oncology

Abstract

Introduction: Surgical site infections (SSIs) account for 14-16% of nosocomial infections and are one of the major causes of increased morbidity, hospital stay, cost of care, and even mortality. Hypothermia as a risk factor for SSI is debated but there is lack of conclusive evidence. The present study explores the association of hypothermia with SSI.
Methodology: This is a prospective cohort study conducted on adult patients who underwent elective laparotomy. Patients were divided into two cohorts, the Hypothermia Cohort and the Normothermia Cohort, based upon episodes of hypothermia of <36⁰C in the perioperative period. SSI was diagnosed based upon criteria defined by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Postoperative follow-up to detect SSI was done until 30 days after the operation.
Results: A total of 183 patients met the selection criteria and were included in the study. Ninety patients (49%) had perioperative hypothermia and were followed in the Hypothermia Cohort, while 93 patients (51%) who remained normothermic in the perioperative period were followed in the Normothermia Cohort. Mean age of the patients was 49.77 +/- 14.82 years. Almost two-thirds of the participants were females (63.9%). Patients who developed hypothermia were significantly older and had lower BMI. Also the proportion of female patients was significantly higher in the Normothermic Cohort.
Rate of SSI was similar in both groups (10% versus 10.8%) with p-value of 0.867. Multivariable regression analysis also failed to show any significant association between hypothermia and SSI.
Conclusion: Our study failed to show any statistically significant association between hypothermia and surgical site infection.

Comments

Pagination are not provided by the author/publisher

Publication (Name of Journal)

Cureus

Recommended Citation

Siddiqiui, T., Pal, K., Shaukat, F., Mubashir, H., Ali, A. A., Malik, M. A., Shahzad, N. (2020). Association between perioperative hypothermia and surgical site infection after elective abdominal surgery: A prospective cohort study. Cureus, 12(10), e11145.
Available at: https://ecommons.aku.edu/pakistan_fhs_mc_surg_gen/94

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.