4 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • M A y 2 0 1 8
Y
ou prep skin, disinfect
surfaces, decontami-
nate instruments,
warm patients and administer
antibiotics, and yet avoidable
surgical site infections contin-
ue to occur at incredible cost
to patients and the healthcare
system. Infected patients
experience personal suffer-
ing, pain, loss of income,
reduced quality of life and possibly even death. Individual surgical site
infections cost about $20,785 to treat, making them the third most
costly healthcare-acquired infection (HAI) behind only central line-
associated bloodstream infections ($45,814) and ventilator-associated
pneumonia ($40,144), according to a recent study in JAMA Internal
Medicine (osmag.net/otFYS2).
Readmission and extended lengths of stay are driving the exorbitant
costs of SSIs, and those costs are only increasing. Prolonged hospital-
izations also double the risk of mortality in patients with SSIs, and that
risk is even greater for the elderly, who are becoming a larger segment
of the patient population.
The JAMA study says the annual economic burden of surgical, central
line, Clostridium difficile, ventilator-associated and catheter-associated
urinary tract infections (CAUTIs) is $9.8 billion, with SSIs contributing
the most (33.7%) to the overall expense. Treatment of CAUTIs cost less
than 1% of the total burden, yet much more energy and effort has been
No More Excuses
It's time to reconsider the considerable costs of avoidable SSIs.
On Point
Charles H. Cook, MD, FACS, FCCM
• DOWN TO ZERO New thinking is needed to eliminate the risks of
surgical infections.
