Prevention of Surgical Site Infections: Important Points from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 1999 and 2017 Guidelines

Abstract

The human and financial costs of treating surgical site infections (SSIs) have been increasing. It has been estimated that approximately half of SSIs are preventable by using evidence-based strategies. The objective of this paper is to review the new and updated evidence-based recommendations for the prevention of SSIs, such as those of The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, USA) guidelines for Prevention of SSIs published in 1999 and 2017. We mainly discuss the guidelines of 1999 and 2017 regarding preoperative preparation of patients, prophylactic antibiotics, intraoperative ventilation, aseptic and surgical technique, and postoperative incision care to identify differences between the older guideline and the new and updated recommendations to prevent unpleasant SSIs.