Sorvegliare il tasso di infezione del sito chirurgico: analisi dei dati 2008-2012 del Sistema Nazionale di Sorveglianza delle Infezioni del Sito Chirurgico

Surgical site infections (SSI) are among the most common health-care associated infections. SSI surveillance may give useful information regarding this important problem. To manage this problem, the Italian Surgical Site Infection Surveillance System (SNICh) was started in 2004. We here report the data of 2008 and 2012 period. Methods. SNICH is a national surveillance system based on a voluntary participation. We report data on Surgical Site Infection (SSI), stratified in superficial, deep and organ and space, observed within SNICh in the period 2008-2012. An analysis on SSI rates and surveillance duration was performed. Results. Between 208 and 2012 142,848 intervenions were surveyed. The number of surveyed interventions doubled in the study period, from 24,000 in 2008 to over 50,000 in 2012. In 2012 about one hundred hospitals participated in SNICh (8% of the Italian hospitals). The interventions surveyed in 2012 represent <1% of the national figure. SSI rate decreased from 2.8% in 2008 to 1.7% in 2012. SSI surveillance lasting at least 2 years was associated with a signifìcant SSI reduction (multi-variate analysis: Odds ratio 0.71, 95% confidence interval 0.59-0.84; P<0.001). Conclusions. The implementation of a SSI surveillance program has been associated with a significant reduction in SSI rates. Each and every hospital should survey SSI rates, possibly within the nation program-SNICH, in order to favour benchmarking between centres