Rate of post-cesarean surgical wound infection and its related factors in women referred to Tabriz hospitals

Abstract

Introduction: Cesarean section is the most common surgery in obstetrics and gynecology. Post-cesarean surgical wound infection has irreversible complications. Lack of knowledge about its prevalence has prevented the adoption of preventive decisions in general policies of the health system. Therefore, this study was performed with aim to evaluate the rate of post-cesarean surgical wound infection and its related factors in women referred to Tabriz hospitals. Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was performed on 315 women candidate for cesarean section in public and private hospitals of Tabriz from 2018 to 2019. Symptoms of surgical wound infection were recorded in post-cesarean section infection questionnaire. Data were analyzed by SPSS software (version 20) and Chi-square, Independent t-test and logistic regression. p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: 79 participants (25.08%) had symptoms of surgical wound infection. Investigation of specific and effective risk factors on surgical wound infection indicated that variables such as gestational age (P=0.041), number of pregnancies (P=0.019), previous cesarean section (P=0.009), premature rupture of membrane (P=0.008), type of cesarean section (P=0.003), gestational diabetes (P=0.008) and body mass index (P=0.005) were significantly different between the two groups. Conclusion: Post-cesarean surgical wound infection was observed in 25% of women and its risk factors included gestational age, number of pregnancies and previous cesarean section, premature rupture of membrane, emergency cesarean section, gestational diabetes, and high BMI.

Keywords

• cesarean section
• infection
• risk factor