Surgical site infection after gastrointestinal surgery in high-income, middle-income, and low-income countries: a prospective, international, multicentre cohort study

Background: Surgical site infection (SSI) is one of the most common infections associated with health care, but its importance as a global health priority is not fully understood. We quantified the burden of SSI after gastrointestinal surgery in countries in all parts of the world. Methods: This international, prospective, multicentre cohort study included consecutive patients undergoing elective or emergency gastrointestinal resection within 2-week time periods at any health-care facility in any country. Countries with participating centres were stratified into high-income, middle-income, and low-income groups according to the UN's Human Development Index (HDI). Data variables from the GlobalSurg 1 study and other studies that have been found to affect the likelihood of SSI were entered into risk adjustment models. The primary outcome measure was the 30-day SSI incidence (defined by US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria for superficial and deep incisional SSI). Relationships with explanatory variables were examined using Bayesian multilevel logistic regression models. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT02662231. Findings: Between Jan 4, 2016, and July 31, 2016, 13 265 records were submitted for analysis. 12 539 patients from 343 hospitals in 66 countries were included. 7339 (58·5%) patient were from high-HDI countries (193 hospitals in 30 countries), 3918 (31·2%) patients were from middle-HDI countries (82 hospitals in 18 countries), and 1282 (10·2%) patients were from low-HDI countries (68 hospitals in 18 countries). In total, 1538 (12·3%) patients had SSI within 30 days of surgery. The incidence of SSI varied between countries with high (691 [9·4%] of 7339 patients), middle (549 [14·0%] of 3918 patients), and low (298 [23·2%] of 1282) HDI (p < 0·001). The highest SSI incidence in each HDI group was after dirty surgery (102 [17·8%] of 574 patients in high-HDI countries; 74 [31·4%] of 236 patients in middle-HDI countries; 72 [39·8%] of 181 patients in low-HDI countries). Following risk factor adjustment, patients in low-HDI countries were at greatest risk of SSI (adjusted odds ratio 1·60, 95% credible interval 1·05–2·37; p=0·030). 132 (21·6%) of 610 patients with an SSI and a microbiology culture result had an infection that was resistant to the prophylactic antibiotic used. Resistant infections were detected in 49 (16·6%) of 295 patients in high-HDI countries, in 37 (19·8%) of 187 patients in middle-HDI countries, and in 46 (35·9%) of 128 patients in low-HDI countries (p < 0·001). Interpretation: Countries with a low HDI carry a disproportionately greater burden of SSI than countries with a middle or high HDI and might have higher rates of antibiotic resistance. In view of WHO recommendations on SSI prevention that highlight the absence of high-quality interventional research, urgent, pragmatic, randomised trials based in LMICs are needed to assess measures aiming to reduce this preventable complication

68-Ga prostate-specific membrane antigen-PET as a diagnostic and clinical decision making tool in biochemical recurrences post-radical prostatectomy.

377 Background: In patients with biochemical relapse (BCR) following radical prostatectomy (RadP), risk stratification by clinical indices alone is suboptimal for identifying subgroups likely to benefit from salvage radiotherapy (RT). It is also recommended that combination hormonal therapy (HT)-RT improves rates of salvage and survival, hence the need for a clinical tool to better stratify patients for RT and HT-RT; the latter approach for patients at risk of occult metastases. Herein, we investigated the role of 68Ga-Prostate-specific Membrane Antigen (PSMA)-PET in the detection of regional and distal recurrences, and for clinical decision making in a prospective cohort of patients with BCR post-RadP. Methods: 68Ga-PSMA-PET and CT were performed in a cohort of 50 RadP patients with BCR. Radiological interpretation was independently performed by two assessors, who were blinded to the patient identifiers. PSMA+ lesions were considered as true positives; negative-PSMA in the presence of continued PSA rise defined false negative. Impact on clinical decision making was reviewed by comparison of PSMA-PET and CT findings in the post-RadP PSA 0.5-2.0 ng/ml subgroup. Results: Overall detection rate for 68Ga-PSMA/PET was 74% (37 of 50) in our cohort with a median post-RadP PSA level of 2.19 (IQR = 0.45-4.26). Detection rates were significantly increased at a PSA cut-off &gt; 1.0; 96% (25 of 26) at &gt; 2.0 and 100% (5 of 5) at 1.0-2.0 compared to 67% (4 of 6) at 0.5-1.0, and 23% (3 of 13) at &lt; 0.5 (P &lt; 0.001). In 0.5-2.0 PSA subgroup, 3 regional nodes and 11 distal (6 nodes, 4 bones, 1 lung) lesions were detected. This altered treatment in 5 of the 11 (46%) cases; 3 N+ cases would have been recommended for HT-RT and pelvic nodal RT, while RT would be omitted in 2 patients due to low volume systemic disease. Conclusions: Our findings support the existing data for PSMA-PET as a sensitive diagnostic tool for clinical recurrences post-RadP. Additionally, the detection of small volume nodal and distal lesions at post-RadP PSA levels of &lt; 2.0 ng/ml highlights the potential utility of PSMA-PET for selecting patients to treatment intensification with HT-RT or omission of RT in cases of distal relapse. </jats:p

Surgical site infection after gastrointestinal surgery in children : an international, multicentre, prospective cohort study

Introduction Surgical site infection (SSI) is one of the most common healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). However, there is a lack of data available about SSI in children worldwide, especially from low-income and middle-income countries. This study aimed to estimate the incidence of SSI in children and associations between SSI and morbidity across human development settings. Methods A multicentre, international, prospective, validated cohort study of children aged under 16 years undergoing clean-contaminated, contaminated or dirty gastrointestinal surgery. Any hospital in the world providing paediatric surgery was eligible to contribute data between January and July 2016. The primary outcome was the incidence of SSI by 30 days. Relationships between explanatory variables and SSI were examined using multilevel logistic regression. Countries were stratified into high development, middle development and low development groups using the United Nations Human Development Index (HDI). Results Of 1159 children across 181 hospitals in 51 countries, 523 (45 center dot 1%) children were from high HDI, 397 (34 center dot 2%) from middle HDI and 239 (20 center dot 6%) from low HDI countries. The 30-day SSI rate was 6.3% (33/523) in high HDI, 12 center dot 8% (51/397) in middle HDI and 24 center dot 7% (59/239) in low HDI countries. SSI was associated with higher incidence of 30-day mortality, intervention, organ-space infection and other HAIs, with the highest rates seen in low HDI countries. Median length of stay in patients who had an SSI was longer (7.0 days), compared with 3.0 days in patients who did not have an SSI. Use of laparoscopy was associated with significantly lower SSI rates, even after accounting for HDI. Conclusion The odds of SSI in children is nearly four times greater in low HDI compared with high HDI countries. Policies to reduce SSI should be prioritised as part of the wider global agenda.Peer reviewe