BACKGROUND: Previous infections of the surgical site play an important role on the development of a new infection of the surgical site. This is named latent infection of the surgical site. The aim of this study was to analyze the infection rate of patients with previous history of surgical site infection and to relate it to the etiologic agent of the anterior infection. METHODS: The authors studied 389 patients submitted to an elective incisional hernia repair. The data were acquired through an active search system and stored in a formulary page inside the patients records. After discharge the Infection Control Committee analysed those data. RESULTS: The surgical site infection rate was 6.7% (26/389). In the patients with previous history of surgical site infection (69/389) a new wound infection occurred in 27,6%(19/69) compared with 2,2% (7/320) of the patients without anterior infection episodes. This difference was statistically significant (p < 0.001). In the 19 patients with previous wound infection and a reinfection episode the authors recovered five cultures (four Staphyloccocus aureus e one Proteus sp). In four cases identical organisms were cultured from the original wound infection (four Staphyloccocus aureus). CONCLUSION: The authors concluded that a previous episode of surgical site infection increases the risk of a new wound infection episode (27,6% x 2,2%, p < 0,001). This data suggest the existence of a latent wound infection.
Infection; Surgical wound infection; Ventral hernia