Prevention of Surgical Site Infections

Surgical site infections (SSIs) are a major cause of postoperative illness, longer hospitalization, and increased healthcare costs, making the prevention and treatment of SSIs an important aspect of patient care for hospitalists. The following activity outlines patient and procedural factors that increase the risk of SSIs, examines the basic principles of antimicrobial prophylaxis for SSI, reviews nonantibiotic interventions to lessen the risk of SSI, and outlines evaluation for and treatment of an SSI. In addition, a discussion of the controversy surrounding preoperative decolonization of Staphylococcus aureus is provided.

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Availability

On-Demand

Expires on Apr 21, 2027

Cost

Member: $0.00

Non-Member: $95.00

Credit Offered

2 CME Credits

2 ABIM-MOC Points

2 Participation Credits

Overview
Faculty
Accreditation
Recommended

Learning Objectives
After completing this activity, learners should be able to:

Identify risk factors for the development of surgical site infections (SSIs).
Discuss the basic principles of antimicrobial prophylaxis for SSI, including drug selection, dosing and timing of administration.
Describe nonantibiotic interventions designed to reduce a patient’s risk of developing SSIs, including reduction of hyperglycemia, skin antisepsis and appropriate hair removal practices.
Explore preoperative decolonization of Staphylococcus aureus as a strategy for SSI prevention.
Develop an approach to the assessment and treatment of postoperative fever and SSI.

If you are a Program Director and would like to grant access to your trainees, please reach out to education@hospitalmedicine.org for an academic access code.

Faculty

J. Njeri Wainaina, MD, FACP
Kurt Pfeifer, MD, FACP, SFHM, DFPM
Leonard Feldman, MD, FACP, FAAP, MHM

Faculty Disclosures
The faculty and planners of these activities have no relevant relationships to disclose. All relevant relationships were mitigated prior to the start of this activity.

Conflict of Interest Disclosure Policy
In accordance with the ACCME Standards for Commercial Support, SHM requires that individuals in a position to control the content of an educational activity disclose all relevant financial relationships with any commercial interest. SHM mitigates all conflicts of interest to ensure independence, objectivity, balance, and scientific rigor in all its educational programs. All relevant financial relationships shall be disclosed to participants prior to the start of the activity.

Furthermore, SHM seeks to verify that all scientific research referred to, reported, or used in a continuing medical education (CME) activity conforms to the generally accepted standards of experimental design, data collection, and analysis. SHM is committed to providing its learners with high-quality CME activities that promote improvements in healthcare and not those of a commercial interest.

Accreditation Statement
The Society of Hospital Medicine is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

CME Credit Statement
The Society of Hospital Medicine designates this online activity for a maximum of 2.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit^TM. Physicians should claim only credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

MOC Credit Statement
Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the evaluation component, enables the participant to earn up to 2.00 MOC points in the American Board of Internal Medicine's (ABIM) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program. Participants will earn MOC points equivalent to the amount of CME credits claimed for the activity. It is the CME activity provider's responsibility to submit participant completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting ABIM MOC credit.

SHM Consults Core Curriculum

Hospitalists are the fastest growing portion of the physician work force. Some estimate there will be 50,000 hospitalists needed in the next 10 years. As the number of hospitalists grows, so too will the clinical settings in which we practice. Consultative medicine is a service provided by many hospitalists, and a future in which almost all surgical patients are co-managed by hospitalists is already a reality for some. For many of us, our training in consultative medicine during residency was limited. We hope this curriculum will help you to feel more confident about your knowledge and skills and will lead to better patient outcomes. We welcome your comments and suggestions for future topics.

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Perioperative Infections and Fever

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SHM Consults: Perioperative and Consultative Medicine

As hospitalist roles surge, mastering consultative and perioperative care has become a career essential. Gain the proven frameworks and clinical confidence to navigate complex surgical co-management and specialist consultations, leading to safer patients and smoother workflows.

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Evaluation and Management of Cirrhosis in the Perioperative Setting

Patients with cirrhosis who undergo surgery are at increased risk for complications. Perioperative morbidity and mortality vary depending on the severity of cirrhosis, type of surgery, and whether it is elective or emergent. Identification of cirrhosis and accurate assessment of severity can be challenging but is necessary for case selection, informed consent, and anticipation of potential complications. Inaccurate risk assessment can sometimes lead to inappropriate exclusion of patients with cirrhosis from receiving useful surgery, as well. For instance, reliance on the Child-Pugh score alone likely significantly over-estimates perioperative mortality in patients with cirrhosis undergoing most procedures. This activity identifies updated tools for perioperative risk prediction, outlines the most important elements of preoperative evaluation and optimization, and assists in formulation of pre- and postoperative care plans for patients with cirrhosis. Though our main focus is on cirrhosis, we will also touch on some important topics related to other acute and chronic liver disease.

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Perioperative Management of Anticoagulant Therapy

Anticoagulant medications are commonly prescribed to patients in the United States for a number of medical problems. Interruptions in anticoagulation can result in severe adverse outcomes, including permanent disability and death, from arterial and venous thromboembolism. These medications can also be associated with serious perioperative bleeding events. In fact, both bleeding and thromboembolic risks are amplified in the periprocedural period. Many patients undergo routine and emergent procedures, thus it is critical for hospitalists, who are routinely asked to manage medically complex surgical patients, to understand the periprocedural management of anticoagulation. There are many nuances to consider: not all patients are at the same risk of thromboembolism, not all procedures are associated with the same risk of bleeding, and the indications for “reversal agents” are complex. This activity will guide the participant on the perioperative timing of anticoagulant interruption, the potential need for perioperative bridging anticoagulation, and address these nuances to better equip hospitalists for managing perioperative reversal.

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Managing Diabetes and Hyperglycemia in the Hospital: Focus on the Noncritically Ill Patient

Hospitalized patients with diabetes require specific medical management in order to minimize the risk of hyperglycemia. This requires hospitalists to have an understanding of methods for glycemic control in both the critically ill and noncritically ill patient. This activity, which focuses on the noncritically ill patient, is part of a 2-part series that will evaluate the current scientific evidence regarding glycemic control and discuss which medications are best for controlling blood glucose levels in the hospital. A thorough discussion of how to determine the appropriate insulin dose and develop an insulin regimen for hospitalized patients is provided, as well as strategies for developing a discharge plan for patients on insulin.

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Venous Thromboembolism Prophylaxis in Surgical Patients

Prophylaxis for deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE), together referred to as venous thromboembolism (VTE), must be addressed for every patient going to the operating room. Multiple guidelines are available to assist choosing the correct prophylactic agent for each patient and type of surgery. The American College of Physicians (ACCP) guidelines have been one of the standards for hospitalist for decades but was last updated in 2012¹ and recommendations and suggestions are based on the type of surgery. The American Society of Hematology (ASH), which put forth their first guideline in this field in 2019², took a broader and slightly more universal approach to prevention strategies. The authors of this activity bring forth a blended approach of these two guidelines with an emphasis on the newer guideline.

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