Volume 9, Number 2—February 2003
Research
Health and Economic Impact of Surgical Site Infections Diagnosed after Hospital Discharge
Eli N. Perencevich*†
, Kenneth E. Sands*†, Sara E. Cosgrove*, Edward Guadagnoli‡, Ellen Meara‡, and Richard Platt§†‡
, Kenneth E. Sands*†, Sara E. Cosgrove*, Edward Guadagnoli‡, Ellen Meara‡, and Richard Platt§†‡
Table 1
Descriptive characteristics of cohort in study of surgical site infections (SSI), Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, 1997–1998a
| Characteristic | Case-patients N (% or SDa) | Controls N (% or SDa) | p value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Study cohort N=267 |
89 |
178 |
|
| Demographics of complete cohort |
|||
| Age (yr) |
55.8 (+/-14.6) |
57.5 (+/-13.3) |
0.33b |
| Male gender |
43 (48.3) |
94 (52.8) |
0.52c |
| Surgery duration (min) |
177 (+/-112) |
137 (+/-74) |
0.037d |
| Chronic disease score |
3,058 (+/-2636) |
2,148 (+/-2285) |
0.005d |
| Surgery location (inpatient) |
73 (82) |
149 (83.7) |
1.0c |
| Surgery type |
|||
| Cardiac |
26 (29.2) |
53 (29.8) |
1.0c |
| General |
25 (28.1) |
53 (29.8) |
0.89c |
| Gynecology |
2 (2.3) |
4 (2.3) |
1.0c |
| Neurology |
4 (4.5) |
8 (4.5) |
1.0c |
| Orthopedic |
15 (16.9) |
32 (18) |
0.87c |
| Other |
2 (2.3) |
3 (1.7) |
1.0c |
| Plastic |
5 (5.6) |
6 (3.4) |
0.51c |
| Urology |
3 (3.4) |
6 (3.4) |
1.0c |
| Vascular |
7 (7.9) |
13 (7.3) |
1.0c |
| Description of questionnaire responders |
|||
| Responder N=173 (65%) |
50 (56.2) |
123 (69.1) |
0.042c |
| Age (yr) |
57.3 (+/-13.7) |
58.6 (+/-12.4) |
0.54b |
| Male gender |
25 (50) |
69 (56.1) |
0.50c |
| Surgery duration (min) |
185 (+/-142) |
144 (+/-81) |
0.19d |
| Surgery type |
|||
| Cardiac |
16 (32) |
39 (31.7) |
1.0c |
| General |
18 (36.0) |
35 (28.5) |
0.37c |
| Gynecology |
1 (2.0) |
3 (2.4) |
1.0c |
| Neurology |
1 (2.0) |
6 (4.9) |
0.67c |
| Orthopedic |
7 (14.0) |
23 (18.7) |
0.51c |
| Other |
1 (2.0) |
0 (0.0) |
0.29c |
| Plastic |
2 (4.0) |
3 (2.4) |
0.63c |
| Urology |
1 (2.0) |
4 (3.3) |
1.0c |
| Vascular |
3 (6.0) |
10 (8.1) |
0.76c |
| Occupation (could check >1) |
|||
| Employed |
26.6% |
30.8% |
0.61c |
| Homemaker |
29.8% |
28.2% |
0.85c |
| Retired |
42.9% |
61.5% |
0.07c |
| Student |
2.1% |
2.5% |
1.0c |
| Preexisting medical conditionse |
|||
| Congestive heart failure |
12.2% |
2.5% |
0.018c |
| Diabetes |
24.5% |
11.5% |
0.057c |
| Arthritis | 38.8% | 21.5% | 0.034c |
aResults are shown as no. (%) or mean +/- standard deviation, along with p value for comparison of cases with SSIs to controls without SSIs.
bStudent t test.
cFisher exact test.
dWilcoxon rank-sum test.
eThirteen additional preexisting conditions were assessed, including chronic lung disease, vision or hearing impairment, asthma, peptic ulcer disease, chronic back pain, hypertension, angina, myocardial infarction, stroke, kidney disease, and cancer; all were not significantly different between cases and controls with p>0.05.
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