MIAMI — Surgical site infections were significantly more likely among women who harbored Staphylococcus aureus prior to undergoing breast cancer surgery, according to data from 615 patients, A. Krishna, M.D., said at the joint annual meeting of the Surgical Infection Society and the Surgical Infection Society-Europe.
In a multicenter, prospective study conducted by Dr. Krishna and his colleagues at South Glasgow (Scotland) University Hospital, 83 of the 615 women (14%) carried S. aureus, as determined by preoperative nasal, axillary, and perineal swabs.
The patients were evaluated for surgical site infections for 30 days after their surgery. Within 30 days, infections occurred in 22 of the 83 women with S. aureus, compared with 75 of 532 women without S. aureus (27% vs. 14%).
Approximately 1 in 4 patients with S. aureus is likely to develop a postoperative wound infection, and the infection rate reported in this study falls within the range of rates reported in previous studies, Dr. Krishna noted.
The women enrolled in the study were undergoing primary surgery for breast cancer and were part of a larger randomized, controlled study of prophylactic antibiotic use.