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Background Surgical site infection (SSI) is the most commonly occurring infection in postoperative patients. This study is conducted to evaluate the prevalence of SSI in patients following gastrointestinal tract surgery and identify the risk factors. Method A cross-sectional study was conducted at the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC), Karachi, Pakistan, between December 2021 and May 2022. A total of 132 patients participated in the study who were at least 18 years older and had undergone the gastrointestinal surgical procedure. Patients who refused to give consent, died after the procedure, and were diagnosed with SSI after they were discharged were excluded from the study. We performed a chi-squared test. Result A total of 132 patients were included in the study, of which 63 (47.7%) were males, while 69 (52.3%) were females. SSI was more commonly found among the age group of 41-70 years with 29 (38.7%) patients. Presurgical features including hemoglobin of >11 mg/dL, albumin of >3.5 g/dL, blood glucose of <80 mg/dL, and emergency surgery were found to be associated with the SSI having a significant p-value. Similarly, the surgical and postsurgical features significantly associated with the SSI having a significant p-value were the presence of surgical trauma, wound irrigation with normal saline, malignancy, bowel preparation, longer duration of the surgery, intraoperative hypotension, operative site, drain insertion, and the absence of a second antibiotic. Conclusion The early identification and management of the demographical, presurgical, surgical, and postsurgical risk factors can help reduce the incidence of SSIs. Bowel preparation should be encouraged, and unnecessary delays during the surgical process leading to increased procedure time should be avoided. Extra precaution needs to be provided for the patients highly susceptible to SSIs.
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OBJECTIVE: Factors predicting axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) among first-degree relatives (FDRs) of ankylosing spondylitis (AS) patients need to be defined. We investigated the predictive value of the probands' HLA-B27 and radiographic sacroiliitis status on disease occurrence among their FDR. We also assessed the predictive value of features of the clinical history, including chronic inflammatory back pain (CIBP) and acute anterior uveitis (AAU), among the FDR and how they can be used to improve classification and diagnosis of axSpA. METHODS: In 1985, we studied 363 AS probands and 806 FDR who underwent rheumatologic examination, completed questionnaires, provided blood samples for HLA-typing and underwent radiography of sacroiliac joints. At follow-up in 2018-2019, 125 patients and 360 FDR were available for study, and completed a postal questionnaire about axSpA features. FDRs were asked to report whether after 1985 they had been diagnosed by Swiss rheumatologists as having axSpA. RESULTS: Among HLA-B27(+) FDR, axSpA occurred in 25.4%-26.3%, independent of the radiographic sacroiliitis status of the proband. AAU occurred in 13/34 (38.2%) FDR with axSpA vs 29/251 (11.6%) FDR without axSpA (p=0.00004, OR=4.74 95% CI 2.15 to 10.47). The presence of CIBP at baseline did not predict later occurrence of axSpA but combining CIBP and pain/discomfort at the thoracic spine and at anterior (ventral) chest wall ever, assessed at follow-up in 2018-2019, provided 83.1% sensitivity and 87.2% specificity for current axSpA. CONCLUSION: Occurrence of AAU among FDR of axSpA probands should prompt screening for axSpA. Moreover, co-occurrence of CIBP and pain/discomfort in the thoracic spine and at anterior chest wall as a three-question tool may further enhance clinical suspicion of axSpA among these FDR.
