Teaching in the operating room: A risk for surgical site infections?

BACKGROUND/AIM: To investigate whether teaching procedures and surgical experience are associated with surgical site infection (SSI) rates.

METHODS: This prospective cohort study of patients undergoing general, orthopedic trauma and vascular surgery procedures was done between 2012 and 2015 at two tertiary care hospitals in Switzerland/Europe.

RESULTS: Out of a total of 4560 patients/surgeries, 1403 (30.8%) were classified as teaching operations. The overall SSI rate was 5.1% (n = 233). Teaching operations (OR 0.78, 95% CI 0.57-1.07, p = 0.120), junior surgeons (OR 0.80, 95% CI 0.55-1.15, p = 0.229) and surgical experience (OR 0.997, 95% CI 0.982-1.012, p = 0.676) were overall not independently associated with the odds of SSI. However, for surgeons' seniority and experience, these associations depended on the duration of surgery.

CONCLUSIONS: In procedures of shorter and medium duration, teaching procedures and junior as well as less experienced surgeons are not independently associated with increased odds of SSI.