Table 1 Three main components of the SSI intervention
Patient data (weight; type of surgery) | |
|---|---|
1. Adequate preoperative hair removal at the surgical site | Hair removal ONLY if indicated for surgical reasons |
Only through hair clipping or chemical depilatory. No shaving/razors (inadequate) | |
Timing: on the day of surgery, within 4Â h before incision (chemical depilation may be conducted already on the day before) | |
2. Adequate preoperative skin disinfection of the operation site | Three applications, while respecting exposure times after each application as per the manufacturer’s recommendations |
Carried out (or supervised) by a defined trained staff member | |
Use of alcohol-based chlorhexidine, octenidine, or PVP-iodine (except for mucosa and wounds, where alcohol-based disinfectants must not be used) | |
3. Adequate administration of antibiotics | Written guideline for adherence to correct time window as per recommendations [11] |
Intraoperative repeat dose as per recommendations (usually within 4Â h for first/second-generation cephalosporins) | |
Weight adaptation, with dose increase at 80Â kg cutoff | |