Journal of Hospital Infection (1995) 29, 305-309 Postoperative wound infections* A. N. Yalqin, M. Bakir, Z. Bakici, I. Diikmetqs and N. Sabir Cumhuriyet University, Faculty of Medicine, Departments of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology and Microbiology, Sivas, Turkey Accepted for publication 18 November 1994 Summary: A prospective study of postoperative wound infection was car- ried out over a two year period in Cumhuriyet University Medicine Faculty Hospital in Sivas, Turkey. Examination of wounds, with cultures of all suspicious wounds using standard bacteriological methods was performed. Of a total of 4146 surgical wounds, 188 (4.53%), became infected. High infection rates were noted after colon resection (32.1%), gastric and oe- sophageal operations (21.1%), cholesystectomy (17.2%), and splenectomy (10.2%). Low infection rates were noted after thyroidectomy, mastectomy, caesarean section and abdominal hysterectomy. The commonest causative organisms were coagulase-negative staphylococci 21.7%, Staphylococcus au- veus 19.7%, Eschekhia cob 19.7%, Enterobacter spp. 17.6%, and Pseudomonas spp. 10.7%. Keywords: Postoperative wound infections; wound infection rate. Introduction In spite of modern standards of preoperative preparation, antibiotic pro- phylaxis, and refinements in anaesthetic and operative techniques, post- operative wound infection remains a serious problem. In addition to patient discomfort and morbidity associated with established wound sepsis, there are other quantifiable consequences of such infections namely time and money. ’ Surgical wound infection remains the second most common type of nosocomial infection, and accounts for almost one-third of all hospital- acquired infections.2’3 Variables shown to adversely affect wound infection rates are: hospital environment, age, obesity, use of steroids, prolonged preoperative hospitalization and prophylactic antimicrobials.4 The purpose of the present study was to determine the rate of infection in a Turkish hospital, and the factors that influence this rate. Methods The study was carried out at Cumhuriyet University Faculty of Medicine Hospital, between January 1992 and December 1993. All operations were *This paper was presented in the 6th International Congress for Infectious Diseases, 26-30 April 1994, Prague, Czech Republic. 0195-6701/95/040305 +05 $08.00/O 305 0 1995 The Hospital Infection Society