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Table 1 Health protection agency definition of superficial surgical site infection

From: The effect of triclosan coated sutures on rate of Surgical Site Infection after hip and knee replacement: a protocol for a double-blind randomised controlled trial

Superficial incisional infection

 

SSI that occurs within 30 days of surgery, involves only the skin or subcutaneous tissue of the incision & meets at least one of the following criteria:

 

1.

Purulent drainage from superficial incision

2.

Culture of organisms and pus cells present:

 

fluid/tissue from superficial incision wound swab from superficial incision

3.

At least 2 symptoms of inflammation:

 

Pain, tenderness, localised swelling, redness, heat and either:

 

1) Incision deliberately opened to manage infection

 

or

 

2) Clinicians diagnosis of superficial SSI

  1. Note: Stitch abscesses (minimal inflammation/discharge at suture point) do not classify as SSI.