Prevalence and predictors of surgical site infection in Tbilisi, Republic of Georgia.

Surgical site infections (SSIs) are a serious problem worldwide. Little is known about the epidemiology of SSI in the former Soviet Union. In order to determine the prevalence and predictors of SSI in the Republic of Georgia, we undertook a multicentre observational study of SSIs in three urban hospitals in the capital, Tbilisi. Point prevalence studies (PPS) were performed every 3-5 weeks from September 2000 to January 2002 using the National Nosocomial Infections Surveillance (NNIS) System definitions. All patients who had undergone surgery and were present in participating departments at study hospitals on the day of PPS were included. Of 872 surgical procedures, 146 (16.7%) were complicated by SSI. The prevalence of SSI varied by procedure and risk category. On multivariate regression analysis, age, wound class, one hospital (B) and urological surgery were predictive of SSI. In a separate model, NNIS risk index was highly predictive of SSI. Antibiotic prophylaxis was rare (29.5% of operations), while postoperative antibiotic use was common. SSI is an important problem in the Republic of Georgia. Potential areas for intervention include antibiotic prophylaxis and shaving practices for skin preparation.