The main aim of this study to conduct surveillance program of surgical wound infections and to improve surgical practice by surgeons and other healthcare professionals. This study describes the results obtained in an epidemiological study of surgical wound infections through an active surveillance program lasting one year in surgical unit of a rural teaching hospital. It is a prospective observational study including patients of surgery ward of Rajah Muthaiah Medical College Hospital who have developed surgical wound infections during hospitalization. Among 7162 admissions in surgery ward, 217 cases were screened to have developed surgical wound infections. Therefore the annual incidence was found to be 30.2 patients per 1000 patients. The most common microorganisms responsible for the infections observed were mainly gram negative (65%) and the most commonly isolated were Staphylococcus aureus (30%) and Escherichia coli (27.7%). Highest numbers of cases were observed after Wound debridement (18.2%) and Incision and Drainage (14.6%) operative procedures. Among wound Classes, dirty wounds have found to be highest (51.1%). Superficial incision site infections were highest among other surgical sites. These nosocomial infection surveillance programs of nosocomial infections in rural setting are very rarely conducted and this may be because the clinicians are possibly either too busy or not interested in recording relevant statistics on nosocomial infections. Other health care professionals are often unwilling to undertake such study as it requires adequate laboratory services which may be on heavy demand for diagnosis of other diseases.
Keywords: Surgical wound infection, Surgical unit, Epidemiological study