Surgical site infection is among the most preventable surgical complications, and the measures that prevent it are simple, cheap and easy to let slip under time pressure. The bundle is worth defending as a checklist, not left to memory.
Give weight-appropriate antibiotic prophylaxis within sixty minutes before incision, and redose for long operations or major blood loss. Keep the patient normothermic and well perfused, maintain glucose control, and clip rather than shave hair only when removal is needed. Use chlorhexidine-alcohol skin preparation where not contraindicated and allow it to dry before draping.
The gains are in consistency, not novelty. A team that reliably delivers every element for every case prevents more infections than any single new product, and the discipline matters most in high-volume or resource-limited theatres.
- Give weight-appropriate prophylactic antibiotics within sixty minutes before incision, and redose for long cases or heavy blood loss.
- Maintain normothermia, perfusion and glucose control through the operation.
- Clip rather than shave, and only when hair removal is necessary.
- Use chlorhexidine-alcohol skin preparation where appropriate and let it dry before draping.
Why it matters
Reliable, consistent delivery of simple measures prevents more infections than any single new technology.
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