Seasonal variation and risk factors associated with surgical site infection rate in Kano, Nigeria.

BACKGROUND/AIM To evaluate the seasonal variations and risk factors associated with surgical site infection (SSI) rate in Kano. MATERIALS AND METHODS A total of 5800 patients admitted for surgery, drawn from Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital and Murtala Mohammed Specialist Hospital, underwent different types of surgical procedures between January 2010 and December 2011. Out of those patients, 1463 confirmed infected cases were screened for bacterial and fungal infection by standard microbiological procedures. Questionnaires were administered after informed consent to ascertain patients' lifestyles. Medical histories were obtained from their case files. RESULTS Out of 5800 patients, 1463 were confirmed to be clinically infected, giving rise to a 25.2% incidence of SSI. E. coli (28.0%) and S. aureus (19.0%) were the most frequently isolated SSIs. Over the 2 years of study in the 2 hospitals, infection rates were highest in the month of March and lowest in August. Obesity, diabetes, anemia, number of personnel in the operating room, time of surgery, and position on operation list were all significantly associated with SSI. CONCLUSION Seasonal variation in SSI rates as observed in this study is a new dimension not reported before in Kano. Further research should be carried out to evaluate this observation critically.