Surgical Site Infection

Episode overview

Surgical site infections are a Surgery Shelf favorite because one postoperative wound can test timing, diagnosis, source control, prevention, and even the need for emergency surgery. In this episode, Chris and Mars break down how to recognize superficial, deep, and organ-space infections—and how management changes with each one. You’ll review the classic postoperative timing of wound infections, dangerous early clues for necrotizing infection, when to open and drain a wound, when systemic antibiotics are needed, and when an intra-abdominal collection requires percutaneous or operative source control. We also cover the prevention details worth knowing for the shelf: perioperative temperature goals, glucose control, chlorhexidine-alcohol versus povidone-iodine skin preparation, clipping instead of shaving, appropriate prophylactic antibiotics, and the four surgical wound classes—clean, clean-contaminated, contaminated, and dirty-infected.