Background: Surgical site infections of up to 27% are reported for colorectal surgery. Care bundles have been introduced to decrease surgical site infection rates, but are variable in composition.
Objective: This study aimed to determine whether the addition of a "Colorectal Closure Bundle" in our Enhanced Recovery After Surgery pathway decreased surgical site infection rates.
Design: This is a retrospective study of elective colon resections before and after the addition of a closure bundle.
Settings: This study was conducted at a single academic institution.
Patients: Patients undergoing consecutive elective colon resections with primary anastomosis, December 2012 to July 31, 2014, enrolled in our Enhanced Recovery After Surgery pathway. Exclusion criteria were stoma creation and closure and preoperative chemoradiation.
Intervention: The "Colorectal Closure Bundle," which includes a change in gown and gloves, redraping, wound lavage, and a new set of instruments for closure, was added to the Enhanced Recovery After Surgery pathway.
Main outcome measure: The primary outcome measured was surgical site infections as defined by CDC criteria.
Results: Two hundred five patients were reviewed, 111 preintervention and 94 postintervention. Overall surgical site infection rates were 25.2% preintervention vs 26.6% postintervention (p = 0.82). Surgical site infections were subdivided into "superficial" and "deep and organ space" and were 14.4% and 10.8% preintervention vs 14.9% and 11.7% postintervention (p = not significant). Smoking and diabetes mellitus were found to be independently associated with surgical site infections on multivariate analysis, with adjusted odds ratios of 4.32 (95% CI, 1.70-10.94), p = 0.002, and 2.87 (95% CI 1.30-6.34), p = 0.009.
Limitations: Limitations include the retrospective nature of the study and the small sample size.
Conclusions: There was no change in surgical site infection rates after implementation of the "Colorectal Closure Bundle." Smoking and diabetes mellitus were the only significant risk factors associated with increased surgical site infections. Our infection rates remain high and further change in our perioperative protocol is needed.