Abstract
Arguably, surgical infection and inadequate anesthesia have been two major barriers to surgical progression and success over the centuries. The deeper understanding of microbiology, sterility, disinfection, and infection control has led to significant advances in surgery. Shorter hospital stays have reduced the rate of nosocomial infection acquisition somewhat overall, but longer-stay patients still represent a significant group with continued risk of in-hospital-acquired infection. Despite all of our knowledge, diligent hand hygiene by all staff caring for the patient still remains the most effective method of reducing transfer of infection between patients within hospital and community settings. This chapter discusses the principles of infection control for more effective surgical practice.
Keywords
- Surgical Site Infection
- Nosocomial Infection
- Hand Hygiene
- Necrotizing Fasciitis
- Antimicrobial Prophylaxis
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
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Maiwald, M., Widmer, A.F., Shaw, D., Coventry, B.J. (2014). Surgical Infection. In: Coventry, B. (eds) General Surgery Risk Reduction. Surgery: Complications, Risks and Consequences. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-5391-7_3
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