Prevalence and root causes of surgical site infection among women undergoing caesarean section in Ethiopia: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Surgical site infection is a common complication in women undergoing Caesarean section and the second most common cause of maternal mortality in obstetrics. In Ethiopia, prevalence and root causes of surgical site infection post-Caesarean section are highly variable. This systematic review and meta-analysis estimate the overall prevalence of surgical site infection and its root causes among women undergoing Caesarean section in Ethiopia. METHOD: Systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted to assess the prevalence and root causes of surgical site infection in Ethiopia. The articles were searched from the databases such as Medline, Google Scholar and Science Direct. A total of 13 studies from different regions of Ethiopia reporting the prevalence and root causes of surgical site infection among women undergoing Caesarean section were included. A random effect meta-analysis model was computed to estimate the overall prevalence. In addition, the association between risk factor variables and surgical site infection related to Caesarean section were examined. RESULTS: Thirteen studies in Ethiopia showed that the overall prevalence of surgical site infection among women undergoing Caesarean section was 8.81% (95% CI: 6.34–11.28). Prolonged labor, prolonged rupture of membrane, presence of anemia, presence of chorioamnionitis, presence of meconium, vertical skin incision, greater than 2 cm thickness of subcutaneous tissue, and general anesthesia were significantly associated with surgical site infection post-Caesarean section. CONCLUSION: Prevalence of surgical site infection among women undergoing Caesarean section was relatively higher in Ethiopians compared with the report of center of disease control guideline. Prolonged labor, prolonged rupture of membrane, presence of anemia, chorioamnionitis, presence of meconium, vertical skin incision, greater than 2 cm thickness of subcutaneous tissue and/or general anesthesia were significantly associated with surgical site infection post-Caesarean section.