Cross-sectional analysis of risk factors for surgical site infection secondary to spinal internal fixation via the posterior approach

OBJECTIVE: This study was performed to investigate the risk factors related to surgical site infection (SSI) secondary to spinal internal fixation via the posterior approach. METHODS: Patients who had undergone spinal internal fixation via the posterior approach were selected for inclusion in this cross-sectional study. Factors related to SSI were analysed using univariate and multivariate analyses. RESULTS: Among 4,350 patients, 66 had SSI (infection prevalence of 1.5%). Multivariate logistic regression analysis demonstrated that age of >60 years, surgical duration of >3 hours, haemoglobin concentration of <80 g/L, serum albumin concentration of <30 g/L, diabetes history, and blood loss of >1,000 mL were significantly correlated with SSI secondary to spinal internal fixation via the posterior approach. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides information on SSI secondary to spinal internal fixation via the posterior approach. We found that age of >60 years, surgical duration of >3 hours, haemoglobin concentration of <80 g/L, serum albumin concentration of <30 g/L, diabetes history, and blood loss of >1,000 mL are directly correlated with SSI secondary to spinal internal fixation via the posterior approach.