Sklar Research, Reports & Articles

Surgical site infections (SSIs) have become a common type of undesired adverse effect for hospitalized patients. “It is estimated that 1 in 24 patients who undergo inpatient surgery in the US had a postoperative SSIs”.¹ SSIs comprise more than one-third of all hospital-acquired infections. These infections cause longer hospitalizations for patients, resulting in longer recovery time. Some patients may have to stay in the hospital for up to 10 days after surgery, depending on the severity of the infection. The increase in length of hospital stay or rate of re-hospitalization impacts total costs dramatically. Additionally, the risk of postoperative death is, by majority, directly related to surgical site infections.  “The estimated cost of SSI’s to hospitals is $7.4 billion, with 13,088 deaths per year”.²

Each day, more healthcare professionals are switching from reusable instruments to disposable, single-use ones. There are several reasons why this tendency is growing, and will continue to grow in the years to come.