Surgical site infection after elective colorectal surgery: a review of prevention

Colon cancer is the third leading cause of the disease in the world. In the world, about 1,200,000 people suffer from it every year. The leading cause of morbidity and mortality with about 500,000 deaths per year, SSI (surgical site infections) are most often complications in surgical practice. It is estimated that about 2-5% of patients receive an infection of the operating site after "pure" non-abdominal surgery, and even 20% after interventions in the abdomen. Infections of the operating site are the most common types of hospital infections in the countries of the European Union (19.6%). The reported incidence of these infections in the field of colorectal surgery ranges from 5% to 26%. Knowing the risk factors for the occurrence of surgical infections is a prerequisite for their prevention. Prevention of SSI in the field of colorectal surgery requires the implementation of a variety of preoperative, intraoperative and postoperative measures. More and more performed laparoscopic surgery in elective surgery on the colon against laparotomy with large incisions represents a selection technique that results in a smaller number of SSIs. Studies suggest that delaying resection in urgent conditions by stoma or stent with subsequent resection improves results in terms of a lower rate of complications including SSI, while overall survival time is considerably prolonged. Acta Medica Medianae 2019;58(4):85-93.