To investigate the relationship between warm versus cold operative season and the risk of SSIs after hernia repair, and to examine specific temporal trends in SSI rates from 2006–2021, including any significant changes over time.
Key Findings:
826,636 patients analyzed; 51.6% underwent surgery in cold season, 48.4% in warm season.
Warm season associated with increased odds of superficial SSI (OR 1.17, p<0.05), deep SSI (OR 1.10, p<0.05), and any SSI (OR 1.15, p<0.05).
Superficial SSIs were the most prevalent type in both seasons.
No significant difference in hospital length of stay or reoperation rates between seasons.
Interpretation:
The warm operative season is linked to a higher risk of SSIs after hernia repair, suggesting the need for enhanced infection control measures during these months to improve patient outcomes.
Limitations:
Retrospective design may introduce bias, such as selection bias or confounding factors.
Data limited to participating hospitals in the NSQIP database, which may not represent all surgical practices.
Conclusion:
Understanding seasonal trends in SSIs can inform surgical planning and risk mitigation strategies.
A long-term cohort study found that obesity was not associated with worse patient-reported outcomes or higher reoperation rates following total ankle replacement in optimized surgical candidates.
