An examination of the occurrence of surgical wound infection following equine orthopaedic surgery (1981-1990).

This research article investigates the rate of surgical wound infection following equine orthopaedic surgeries performed at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine over a ten-year period. It highlights the importance of surgical cleanliness, operation length, preoperative antibiotics, and patient gender in determining infection risk.

Overview of the Study

• The research was based on 452 equine orthopaedic surgeries performed at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, from 1981 to 1990. Surgical procedures were classified as clean or clean-contaminated as per the criteria of the National Research Council.
• The post-operative infection rate was figured to be 10.0% in total. When broken down by type of surgery, ‘clean’ surgeries had an 8.1% infection rate while ‘clean-contaminated’ surgeries had a much higher 52.6% infection rate.
• Information collected from the medical records was analyzed using univariate and multivariate logistic regression models to recognize significant factors affecting post-operative infection rates.

Key Findings

• The factors determined to significantly influence post-operative infection included surgical classification, orthopaedic involvement, duration of surgery, administration of preoperative antibiotics, and patient gender.
• ‘Clean-contaminated’ surgeries had an increased risk of infection compared to ‘clean’ surgeries with an odds ratio (OR) of 24.3.
• Surgeries on long bones were more likely to result in infection than procedures on articular surfaces (OR = 5.1).
• Surgeries lasting 90 minutes or longer also had a higher risk of infection, compared to surgeries lasting less than 90 minutes (OR = 3.6).
• The administration of preoperative antibiotics was linked to increased infection risk (OR = 4.6).
• Lastly, female patients were found to be 2.6 times more likely to develop post-operative infections than male patients.

Implications of the Research

• This study provides valuable insights into the factors affecting post-operative infection rates in equine orthopaedic surgery. It helps in understanding the risks associated with different types of surgeries, surgical durations, and patient profiles.
• The findings may have implications for best practices in veterinary surgery, emphasizing the importance of maintaining surgical cleanliness, optimizing operation duration, and perhaps re-evaluating the use of preoperative antibiotics.
• The research could also help in more accurately predicting and possibly minimizing infection risk in equine orthopaedic surgeries.