To Study the Microbiology of Surgical Site Infections (SSIs) Complicating Abdominal Surgeries at DHQ Teaching Hospital D.I.Khan and the Drug Sensitivity against Them

Abstract

Objective: To collect data of pathogens responsible for surgical site infection in elective abdominal surgeries and 
the drugs effective against them.  
Place and Duration of Study: Department of Surgery, District Head-quarters Teaching Hospital, Dera Ismail Khan 
from 1st January 2005 to 31st December 2009.    
Materials and Methods: Retrospective study on all cases of surgical site infections in elective abdominal surgeries 
over five years. Pus and swabs from infected wounds were sent to find the pathogens responsible for these infections 
and the drugs highly sensitive against them.    
Results:  175 cases of abdominal surgeries with surgical site infection were collected over duration of five years. 
Their culture sensitivity reports showed positive result in 160 cases and negative result in 15 cases. 
Organism most commonly responsible for abdominal wound infection in our study was Klebsiella Pneumonae. It 
was found in 53 patients (33.12%) followed by Pseudomonas aeriginosa in 43 patients (26.8%) and E coli in 40 
patients (25%). Other micro-organisms were Staph-aurous (6.8%), Enterobactor (3.75%), Streptococcus (3.12%) 
and Clostridia (1.25%). 
Sensitivity report of these microbes showed that Sulzone (cefoperazone plus sulbactum) is the most effective 
antibiotic.i.e. In 90 patients (56.25%), followed by Amikacin in 40 patients (25%) and Ciprofloxacin in 15 patients 
(9.3%). Other drugs showing higher sensitivity against these pathogens were Fosfomycin in 10 cases (6.25%) and 
Imipenum in 5 cases (3.125%). 
Conclusion: The study gives us clues to the type of pathogens that we would expect in our surgical site infection 
wounds of abdominal surgery, and the antibiotics which can be empirically used against these infections.