WORLD JOURNAL OF ADVANCE
HEALTHCARE RESEARCH

Dr. Ammar M. Sheet Rashid, Dr. Sayf Aldeen Kassab Bashi

ABSTRACT

Background: Surgical site infection is an important postoperative complication following orthopedic trauma surgery because it may delay wound healing, impair fracture union, prolong hospitalization, increase treatment cost, and negatively affect functional outcome. Objectives: To determine the prevalence and risk factors of surgical site infection following orthopedic trauma surgery at Al Salam Teaching Hospital in Mosul. Methods This hospital-based observational study was conducted at Al Salam Teaching Hospital in Mosul from January 2021 to June 2025. The study included 500 patients who underwent orthopedic trauma surgery. Data were collected regarding demographic characteristics, comorbidities, injury-related factors, operative variables, antibiotic prophylaxis, postoperative infection, microbiological findings, and management. Surgical site infection was classified as superficial incisional, deep incisional, or organ/space infection. Data were analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 31, and a p-value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Surgical site infection occurred in 48 patients, giving an overall prevalence of 9.6%. Superficial incisional infection was the most common type, accounting for 60.4% of infected cases, followed by deep incisional infection in 33.3% and organ/space infection in 6.3%. Most infections were diagnosed within the first 30 postoperative days. Significant factors associated with surgical site infection included diabetes mellitus, smoking, anemia, obesity, open fracture, contaminated or dirty wound, lower-limb injury, delayed presentation, delayed surgery, prolonged operative duration, blood transfusion, delayed or undocumented antibiotic prophylaxis, and prolonged hospital stay. In multivariable analysis, diabetes mellitus, open fracture, contaminated or dirty wound, delayed presentation, operation duration more than two hours, and blood transfusion were independent predictors of surgical site infection. Conclusions: Surgical site infection remains a significant complication following orthopedic trauma surgery in Mosul. Early identification of high-risk patients, timely antibiotic prophylaxis, strict open-fracture management, optimization of diabetic control, careful operative planning, rational blood transfusion, and structured postoperative surveillance are recommended to reduce infection risk and improve patient outcomes.

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