International Information
NNIS Infection Rates

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This document contains a chart displaying surgical site infection data presented in a paper published by the CDC. The chart in this document contains the same information as the paper, but modified so that it can be more easily understood. By looking at this chart, sales reps can have an idea about the infection rates of various surgical procedures that they may encounter.

^IThe Risk Index Category describes the number of risk factors present in patients at the time of surgery. Risk factors consist of any patient condition that may impair his or her ability to heal successfully after surgery (e.g. obesity, diabetes, smoking, high blood pressure).

0 = Low risk
1 = Medium risk
2 = High risk
3 = Extremely high risk

When the surgical site infection (SSI) rates for adjacent risk categories for a particular operation are not statistically different, they are combined into a single risk category.

* Laparoscope use may affect SSI rates differently depending on the type of surgery. For cholecystetomy and colon operations, when the procedure was performed laparoscopically, 1 was subtracted from the Risk Index Category. When no risk factors were present initially and a laparoscope was used, the new risk category was designated ""M."" For appendectomy and gastric operations, the use of a scope was important only if the patient had no other risk factors. For these operations, patients with no other risk factors were split into two groups: 0-Yes (laparoscope used) and 0-No (laparoscope not used).

Data obtained from ""National Nosocomial Infections Surveillance (NNIS) System Report, data summary from January 1992 through June 2004, issued October 2004,"" published by the Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion, National Center for Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Public Health Service, US Department of Health and Human Services. American Journal of Infection Control 2002;32(8):470-485.

Nosocomial: Acquired or occurring in a hospital.

Category/Body Area	Operative Procedure	Risk Index CategoryI	Infection Rate (%)	Number of Patients
Heart Lung Chest	Cardiac	0	0.70	2,147
		1	1.50	49,135
		2,3	2.21	15,215
	CABG - chest and donor site	0	1.25	2,718
		1	3.39	380,340
		2	5.43	82,535
		3	9.76	246
	CABG - chest site only	0	0.00	160
		1	2.19	15,248
		2,3	3.72	6,499
	Ventricular Shunt	0	4.42	4,208
		1,2,3	5.36	12,324
	Vascular	0	0.90	7,901
		1	1.72	70,717
		2,3	4.34	28,458
	Other Cardiovascular	0,1	0.60	11,233
		2	1.28	3,828
		3	3.92	153
	Other Respiratory	0,1,2,3	2.43	1,728
	Thoracic	0	0.42	1,423
		1	0.99	5,250
		2,3	2.47	1,984
Category/Body Area	Operative Procedure	Risk Index CategoryI	Infection Rate (%)	Number of Patients
Abdomen Digestive System	Gastric Bypass - inc. laparoscopic*	0 - Yes	0.68	732
		0 - No	2.58	3,522
		1	4.69	7,253
		2,3	8.34	3,345
	Small Bowel	0	4.97	1,749
		1	7.11	4,218
		2	8.63	2,144
		3	11.60	362
	Colon - inc. laparoscopic*	M,0	3.98	20,637
		1	5.66	33,527
		2	8.54	13,777
		3	11.25	1,876
	Splenectomy	0,1,2,3	2.80	1,609
	Liver/Pancreas	0	3.11	482
		1,2,3	7.37	1,736
	Hernia	0	0.81	12,659
		1	2.14	8,397
		2,3	4.53	2,033
	Cholecystectomy - inc. laparoscopic*	M	0.45	33,789
		0	0.68	27,579
		1	1.78	12,804
		2	3.27	4,460
		3	5.68	475
	Laparotomy - General	0	1.71	6,414
		1	3.08	8,082
		2	4.71	4,542
		3	7.19	987
	Other Digestive	0	1.90	1,418
		1	3.01	2,559
		2,3	5.69	1,108
Category/Body Area	Operative Procedure	Risk Index CategoryI	Infection Rate (%)	Number of Patients
Urology Gynecology Obstetrics	Nephrectomy	0,1,2,3	1.04	3,747
	Prostatectomy	0	0.81	2,732
		1,2,3	2.05	2,389
	Abdominal Hysterectomy	0	1.36	49,024
		1	2.32	24,064
		2,3	5.17	5,053
	Vaginal Hysterectomy	0,1,2,3	1.31	29,857
	Cesarean Section	0	2.71	154,141
		1	4.14	46,081
		2,3	7.53	4,871
	Other Obstetric	0,1,2,3	0.51	1,363
	Other Genitourninary	0	0.36	13,831
		1	0.85	7,896
		2,3	2.92	1,953
Category/Body Area	Operative Procedure	Risk Index CategoryI	Infection Rate (%)	Number of Patients
Skin Soft Tissue Plastic Surgery	Skin Graft	0	0.93	1,288
		1	1.72	2,155
		2,3	4.19	1,526
	Mastectomy	0	1.74	16,287
		1	2.20	10,700
		2,3	3.42	1,112
	Other Integumentary System	0,1,2,3	1.29	9,589
Category/Body Area	Operative Procedure	Risk Index CategoryI	Infection Rate (%)	Number of Patients
Orthopedic	Spinal Fusion	0	1.04	51,057
		1	2.64	30,619
		2,3	6.35	8,122
	Laminectomy	0	0.88	73,846
		1	1.35	55,517
		2,3	2.46	18,106
	Open Reduction of Fracture	0	0.79	16,142
		1	1.41	26,372
		2	2.81	5,081
		3	4.97	523
	Limb Amputation	0,1,2,3	3.50	10,732
	Hip Prosthesis	0	0.86	44,454
		1	1.65	71,336
		2,3	2.52	18,941
	Knee Prosthesis	0	0.88	66,360
		1	1.28	74,029
		2,3	2.26	18,051
	Other Prosthesis	0,1,2,3	0.62	3,882
	Other Musculoskeletal	0	0.63	18,805
		1	0.94	13,527
		2,3	1.78	3,927
Category/Body Area	Operative Procedure	Risk Index CategoryI	Infection Rate (%)	Number of Patients
Other	ENT	0	0.07	2,909
		1	0.72	1,389
		2,3	2.61	307
	Head and Neck	0	2.27	660
		1	5.30	962
		2,3	12.50	408
	Craniotomy	0	0.91	4,717
		1	1.72	14,864
		2,3	2.40	4,666
	Other Nervous System	0,1,2,3	1.53	2,356
	Endocrine System	0	0.15	2,607
		1,2,3	0.78	2,043
	Organ Transplant	0,1	4.63	4,964
		2	13.71	1,824.00
		3	26.00	50.00