Surgical site infection in clean and clean contaminated procedures in veterinary practice – a multicentre study of perioperative practices in Portugal.

Abstract

A surgical site infection (SSI) is a healthcare associated infection occurring at or near the site of surgery, up to 30 days after surgery, or up to one year if implants have been left in place. Perioperative parenteral antimicrobial medications is a well established approach to prevent SSIs; For animals undergoing most clean or clean contaminated surgical procedures (C/CCS), prophylactic use of antimicrobial drugs is thought unnecessary. There are little evidence-based guidelines for the use of perioperative antimicrobials in small animal surgery. There is little evidence in the veterinary literature on which to base decisions regarding the length of time antimicrobial administration should be extended to warrant an effective prophylaxis.