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Surgical site infection after pediatric spinal deformity surgery

  • Pediatrics (M Glotzbecker, Section Editor)
  • Published:
Current Reviews in Musculoskeletal Medicine Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The incidence of surgical site infection (SSI) after spinal deformity surgery for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis ranges from 0.5–6.7%. The risk of infection following spinal fusion in patients with neuromuscular scoliosis is greater, with reported rates of 6.1–15.2% for cerebral palsy and 8–41.7% for myelodysplasia. SSIs result in increased patient morbidity, multiple operations, prolonged hospital stays, and significant financial costs. Recent literature has focused on elucidating the most common organisms involved in SSIs, as well as identifying modifiable risk factors and prevention strategies that may decrease the rates of infection. These include malnutrition, positive urine cultures, antibiotic prophylaxis, surgical site antisepsis, antibiotic-loaded allograft, local application of antibiotics, and irrigation solutions. Acute and delayed SSIs are managed differently. Removal of instrumentation is required for effective treatment of delayed SSIs. This review article examines the current literature on the prevention and management of SSIs after pediatric spinal deformity surgery.

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References

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital, 1540 E. Hospital Drive, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA

    Ying Li

  2. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Children’s Hospital Boston, 300 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA, 02115, USA

    Michael Glotzbecker & Daniel Hedequist

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  1. Ying Li
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  2. Michael Glotzbecker
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Correspondence to Ying Li.

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Li, Y., Glotzbecker, M. & Hedequist, D. Surgical site infection after pediatric spinal deformity surgery. Curr Rev Musculoskelet Med 5, 111–119 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12178-012-9111-5

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