Epidemiology of Surgical Site Infection Following Abdominal Surgeries at a Reference Hospital in North-West Cameroon

BACKGROUND: Though abdominal surgery is a risk factor for surgical site infection (SSI), limited data exist in this environment on the burden and risk factors of SSI following abdominal surgeries in our setting. AIM: The aim of this article is to study the prevalence, risk factors, and outcome of SSI following abdominal surgeries at the Mbingo Baptist Hospital, Bamenda, North-West Region, Cameroon. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a hospital-based retrospective cross-sectional study. We reviewed records of all patients who underwent an abdominal surgery at the Mbingo Baptist Hospital from January 2020 to December 2020. We excluded patients under the age of 18 and patients who died in the early post-op without developing an SSI. For each participant, we collected socio-demographic data, clinical features, and factors related to the surgery and its outcome. RESULTS: A total of 304 (25.7% males) participants with a mean age of 40.8 years (SD ±15 years) were enrolled. In all, 37/304 participants developed SSI giving an overall prevalence of 12.2%. The incidence was higher in males and in emergency procedures. The spectrum of infection ranged from superficial (19%) to organ space (64%) through deep SSI (14%). Human immunodeficiency virus, operatory time >4 h, contaminated/dirty procedures, and gastrointestinal perforation repair were independently associated with SSI. Length of hospital stay (days) was significantly higher in patients who developed SSI (18.0 vs. 4.0). An overall mortality of 2% with case fatality of 19% was recorded. CONCLUSION: SSI remains a common complication of abdominal surgeries. Prompt recognition and control of potentially modifiable risk factors may improve the burden and outcomes in this high-risk population.