Surgical Site Infection Following Open Posterior Spine Surgery: Which is the Most Affected?

Objective: Surgical site infection (SSI) is an important cause of surgical wound healing disorders. Although SSI is uncommon in open posterior spine surgery, it is potentially correlated with serious morbidity, increased resource utilization and mortality. To evaluate the association between several spinal disorders treated with open posterior spine surgery and the risk of SSI. Materials and Methods: A retrospective study was conducted in Dr. Zainoel Abidin General Hospital included data during January 2012 to December 2015. The data of the spinal disorders treated with open posterior spine surgery and the risk of SSI were extracted from medical record. A chi-square was employed to assess the association between spinal disorders treated with open posterior spine surgery and the incidence of SSI. Results: A total of seven (2.4%) SSIs of 289 patients treated with open posterior spine surgery were analyzed. Spinal tuberculosis was associated with 5.9 fold increased the risk of SSI [odds ratio 95% confidence interval= 5.99 (1.14-31.51), p=0.034[. While, other spinal disorders including spinal stenosis (p=0.311), spine fracture (p=0.759), herniated nucleus pulposus (p=0.484), spinal dislocations (p=0.806), spondylolisthesis (p=0.925), spinal tumor (p=0491), and scoliosis (p=0/07) had no significant association with the risk of SSI. Conclusion: In our population, spinal tuberculosis is indicated to be correlated with the risk of SSI.