A Private Medical Center in Turkey Reports Mortality Rate, Length Of Stay And Extra Cost Of Sternal Surgical Site Infections Following Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting

D Coskun at AL, Department of Microbiology, Medical Faculty, Kadir Has University, Istanbul, Turkey

Florence Nightingale Hospital is a 300-bed, university-affiliated, private medical centre with a large open heart surgery programme in Istanbul, Turkey.

In this study, the mortality rates, lengths of stay (LOS) and extra costs of patients with deep sternal surgical site infections (DSSSIs) and superficial sternal surgical site infections (SSSSIs) following coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) were determined from January 1999 to December 2002.

Group I included 52 patients with DSSSIs, Group II included 36 patients with SSSSIs and Group III included 88 controls.

Mortality rates in Groups I, II and III were 19.2%, 0% and 4.5%, respectively.

LOS )Length Of Stay) was 47, 33 days and 12 days for Groups I, II and III, respectively.

The costs of extra LOS, antibiotics, and radiological, microbiologial and other laboratory examinations for Groups I and II were US$6850.93 and US$3740.58

Both DSSSI and SSSSI following CABG extended the LOS and increased the cost, and DSSSI was significantly associated with a high mortality rate.

These results suggest the need for improved infection control measures to reduce SSSIs following CABG.

As an important component of the extra cost is the extra LOS, it is essential to shorten this period. This may be particularly applicable in patients with SSSSIs.

Link to study: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15866018/

For more information: Info@posthorax.com