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Surgical site infections (SSIs) are a huge health problem worldwide. SSI is a common postoperative complication in vascular, obstetric, gynecologic, gastric, thoracic, and cardiovascular surgery. It prolongs hospitalization and contributes to significant morbidity and mortality.1,2
Several actions are being taken to prevent surgical site infections, both preoperative, during and after the operation, e.g. pre-op disinfectants, two pairs of gloves and effective ventilation. However, one important factor that is often missed in the overall strategy is to reduce microbes at the incision site and the preventive and treatment role of using a suitable dressing. This is stated in the recent international guidelines (scroll down).
Leukomed® is a registered trademark of BSN Medical GmbH
In these international guidelines Sorbact® is recommended across health care sectors.4 It can be used for infection prevention as well as for treating infected surgical wounds.
See table 9 – Wound dressings for the management of surgical wounds (page 33).
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Sorbact® bacteria and fungi binding dressings prevent and treat wound infections by lowering the bioburden.5,6 Bacteria irreversibly bind and anchor to the unique Sorbact® surface. Safe and effective removal of bacteria reduces the bioburden in wounds which facilitates the healing process. With the Sorbact® mode of action, development of bacterial or fungal resistance is not expected.
Since there are no active agents released into the wound7, Sorbact® dressings can be used right from the start, in all patients, in the short-term or for prolonged treatment of already infected wounds.
SSI has become a huge public health problem because it contributes to significant morbidity, mortality and financial consequences. An SSI is estimated to add approximately 3–21 days to a patient’s hospital stay. This results in additional treatment costing between 900€–7300€8, depending on the type of surgery and severity of the infection.2, 8
Start calculatortotal number of SSIs
total cost
A period is often a year for hospital, region or country.
The incidence rate (the % of new SSIs within a time period) following a caesarean section varies between 3%-15%1, it’s 10-15% following vascular surgery, rising to 30% in trials specifically monitoring SSI as an outcome.2,3
1.Saeed KBM, Greene RA, et al. 2017. Incidence of surgical site infection following caesarean section: a systematic review and meta-analysis protocol. BMJ Open. 7:e013037. 
2.Matatov T, Reddy KN, et al. 2013. Experience with a new negative pressure incision management system in prevention of groin wound infection in vascular surgery patients. J Vasc Surg. 57(3):791-795.
3.Turtiainen J, Saimanen EIT, et al. 2012. Effect of triclosan-coated sutures on the incidence of surgical wound infection after lower limb revascularization surgery: a randomized controlled trial. World J Surg. 36(10):2528-2534.
The potential incidence is the expected incidence after a change has been introduced that affects the current incidence.
Average cost for treating an SSI is approximately 4400€ at 2017 prices.1,2 The main cost driver is extra length of stay in hospital. Approximate additional costs attributable to SSI vary between 900€-7300€ depending on the type of surgery and the severity of the infection.3
Total cost of SSIs = number of SSIs x average cost of an SSI
1.Jenks PJ, Laurent M, et al. 2014. Clinical and economic burden of surgical site infection (SSI) and predicted financial consequences of elimination of SSI from an English hospital. J Hosp Infect. 86(1):24-33.
2.Stanirowski PJ, Davies H, et al. 2019. Cost-effectiveness of a bacterial-binding dressing to prevent surgical site infection following caesarean section. J Wound Care. 28(4):222-228.
3.Leaper DJ, Van Goor H, et al. 2004. Surgical site infection – a European perspective of incidence and economic burden. Int Wound J. 1(4):247-273.
Proven to prevent and treat wound infection in more than 40 clinical studies and in publications including over 7,000 patients, Sorbact® has more than 30 years of successful use in clinical practice. Today Sorbact® is helping patients in over 65 countries around the world and we are continuing this important work by collecting clinical data.
A comparative study to assess the impact of Sorbact® on the incidence of SSI in vascular surgery. 200 patients undergoing vascular surgery. Rate of SSI day 5-7:10% (Control) vs 1% (Sorbact®) p=<0.01. Rate of SSI day 30:19% (Control) vs 10% (Sorbact®) p=0.11.
Bua N, Smith GE, et al. 2017. Dialkylcarbamoyl Chloride Dressings in the Prevention of Surgical Site Infections after Nonimplant Vascular Surgery. Ann Vasc Surg. 44:387-392. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.avsg.2017.03.198
A randomized controlled study among 543 patients undergoing elective or emergency caesarean section, comparing Sorbact® Surgical Dressing to standard surgical dressing (1.8 % vs. 5.2 %) p=0.04.
Stanirowski PJ, Bizoń M, et al. 2016. Randomized Controlled Trial Evaluating Dialkylcarbamoyl Chloride Impregnated Dressings for the Prevention of Surgical Site Infections in Adult Women Undergoing Cesarean Section. Surg Infect (Larchmt). 17(4):427-435. doi.org/10.1089/sur.2015.223
Read more about Sorbact® in caesarean section
