Surgical wound infections after peripheral vascular surgery.

Surgical wound infection is one of the most common complications after peripheral vascular surgery. It increases the affected patient's risk for major amputation as well as mortality. Furthermore, surgical wound infection is an additional cost. Wound infections after vascular surgery are of multifactorial nature and generally result from the interplay of patient- and procedure-related factors. The use of systemic antibiotic prophylaxis may be the most important method in preventing surgical wound infections. In this review article, we report the current literature of surgical wound infections after peripheral vascular surgery. © The Finnish Surgical Society 2013.