[Surgical site infection: risk factors, prevention, diagnosis and treatment].

Surgical site infection comprises the cutaneous tissues until the intraabdominal or pleural cavity. The infectious risk depends on the degree of bacterial contamination, the general conditions of the patient and procedure-related factors. The causal microbes originate from the flora of the skin or the mucosal surfaces that have been touched during the operation. Superficial non-complicated infections are treated locally. However, an infected surgical wound can be the top of a deep infection. Infections with foreign material underneath deserve particular attention. Empiric antibiotic therapy is prohibited in these cases. Treatment is normally a combination of surgical debridement and specific antimicrobial therapy.