Overview of Rate and Risk Factors of Surgical Site Infection in a Tertiary Hospital in Liberia: A Prospective Cohort Study.

Background: Surgical site infection (SSI) is accountable for a third of postoperative deaths and for 8% of all deaths due to hospital-acquired infections. There is a wide disparity in the incidence and burden of SSI in low and high-income countries. Objectives: To assess the rates and risk factors of SSI in a tertiary hospital in a resource-limited sub-Saharan African country and generate institutional baseline data for future monitoring and interventions. Materials and Methods: This was a descriptive prospective cohort study done at John F Kennedy Memorial Hospital, a tertiary hospital in Monrovia, Liberia, from October 18 to December 18, 2021. Consecutive participants, including children and adults that had surgical operations within the study period, were recruited. Criteria for diagnosis of SSI were as defined by the Centre for Disease Control (1999). Data were collected on the demography of the participants, type of surgery done, presence of SSI, comorbidities, and risk factors for SSI. Results: Of the 111 patients analyzed, thirty-two patients had SSI giving a hospital incident rate of 28.8%. This comprises superficial SSI (22/31; 71.0%), deep SSI (6/31; 19.4%), and organ/space SSI (3/31; 9.7%). Twelve out of 42 females (28.6%) and 20 of 69 males (29.0%) had SSI. There is no statistically significant difference in gender SSI rate ( Conclusion: The SSI rate in our study is high at 28.8%. Abdominal surgeries, emergencies, and wound class accounted for the majority of the SSIs. The baseline data will be useful in developing infection control strategies.