Individualized infection prevention strategies tailored to operative level are needed in spine surgery, according to a study published in Spine in February.
Six things to know:
1. Surgical site infections remain a leading complication of spinal fusion despite the development of enhanced recovery programs and other surgical quality measures.
2. Between January 2011 and June 2019, researchers examined 6,727 spinal fusions. Of the 6,727 cases, 351 infections occurred within 90 days.
3. Researchers used microbiologic and procedural data to analyze the anatomic distribution of pathogens, their differential time to presentation and link with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus screening results.
4. An anatomic gradient in the microbiology of surgical site infections was observed across the length of the back, transitioning from cutaneous flora in the cervical spine to enteric flora in the lumbosacral region.
5. Most infections (57.5 percent) were resistant to the prophylaxis administered during surgery.
6. Researchers found that cephalosporin-resistant gram-negative infection was common at lumbosacral levels and undetected methicillin-resistance was common at cervical levels.
Click here for more details on the study.