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Intraoperative Measures to Prevent Surgical Site Infections

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Infections in Surgery

Part of the book series: Hot Topics in Acute Care Surgery and Trauma ((HTACST))

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Abstract

The intraoperative period is characterized by the operative procedure with breach of the barrier function of the skin and, depending of the type of surgery, that of potentially contaminated hollow viscera. This exposes the patient to in- and external microorganisms that may cause infection of the surgical site. Consequences of general anesthesia and surgical stress may compromise defense mechanisms against these micro-organisms and further increase the risk of infection. Broadly, intraoperative measures can be categorized as aimed to minimize exposure to microorganisms, or to support physiological response against these microorganisms. Close collaboration with anesthesiologists and microbiologist is strongly recommended for an effective intraoperative infection prevention strategy.

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Correspondence to S. W. De Jonge .

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De Jonge, S.W. (2021). Intraoperative Measures to Prevent Surgical Site Infections. In: Sartelli, M., Coimbra, R., Pagani, L., Rasa, K. (eds) Infections in Surgery. Hot Topics in Acute Care Surgery and Trauma. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-62116-2_3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-62116-2_3

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