Surgical site infections (SSI) are known to increase costs for healthcare providers due to additional treatments and extended patient recovery. 

A study assessed the cost and health-related quality of life impact of SSI. It utilized the data of 144 participants undergoing clean or clean-contaminated vascular surgery. Evaluation at 30 days included SSI development, length of hospital stay, readmission, and antibiotic use.

Patient-reported EQ-5D scores were calculated at baseline, day 7 and day 30. 

A mean SSI-associated length of stay of 9.72 days incurred an additional cost of £3776 /patient (including a mean antibiotic cost of £532). SSI was associated with a 92% increase in length of stay, after adjusting for age, smoking status, and procedure type. The adjusted episode cost was £3040. 0.156 reductions in patient utility between baseline and day 30 were observed due to SSI. SSI increased readmission rates and decreased the rate to return to work within 90 days.  Thus it is important to investigate strategies to reduce the risk of surgical site infection in high-risk vascular patients.

Totty JP, et al. Int Wound J. 2021;18(3):261-8.