Surgical Infections Following Spinal Operation

Question:

Surgical infections are relatively rare with spinal surgery, but can have serious consequences when they occur. Are there any specific risk factors that surgeons should watch out for?

Answer:

A recent article in the Journal for Bone and Joint Surgery reported a surgical infection rate of 2% with spinal operations. The single biggest risk factor for infection was diabetes, and patients with elevated blood glucose levels pre- and postoperatively were at higher risk. This is in agreement with current understanding of blood glucose levels and bacterial growth.

Other factors associated with increased risk of infection were suboptimal timing of prophylactic antibiotic therapy, obesity and the presence of multiple surgical residents in the operating room.

It can be difficult to control serum glucose levels in operative patients. These findings underscore the need for tight glucose control in diabetic patients and frequent monitoring of blood glucose levels. Administration of prophylactic antibiotics within one hour before the operation and increasing the antibiotic dosage to adjust for obesity are also important strategies to decrease the risk of surgical site infection after spinal operations.

Source:

The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery (American). 2008;90:62-69.
doi:10.2106/JBJS.F.01515
© 2008 The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, Inc.

Filed Under Spinal Surgery Risks, What's New 

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