Impact of Pre-operative Hemoglobin A1C Level and Microbiological Pattern on Surgical Site Infection After Cardiac Surgery

Background Surgical site infection (SSI) after cardiac surgery is a major concern. A limited number of studies have addressed the relationship of preoperative glycemic control on the risk of developing SSI after cardiac surgery. We aim to determine the incidence, microbiological pattern, and impact of preoperative hemoglobin A1C (Hgb A1C) on the development of SSI after cardiac surgery. Methods This is a single-center retrospective chart review that was performed on adult patients undergoing cardiac surgery from January 2017 to December 2018. Results Two hundred and twenty-nine patients underwent 233 procedures. The median age was 60 years; 71% males, 64% were diabetic, and 67% had a Hb A1C above 7% preoperatively. Around 7% of patients developed deep SSI. For patients that developed SSI, 63% had gram-negative bacteria. Hb A1C >7% was not found to be associated with an increased incidence of SSI. Conclusion Our results show that there is no apparent relationship between pre-operative Hgb A1C levels and SSI after cardiac surgery. Although we follow a comprehensive SSI perioperative bundle based on international guidelines that advocates using antibiotics to cover gram-positive organisms, it is interesting that the rate of gram-negative organisms in our patients' cohort is unexpectedly high. We believe that adjusting the perioperative antibiotic regimen based on local microbiological patterns seems to be a reasonable and easily achievable target to decrease the incidence of SSI.