Frequency of Surgical Site Infection Following Open Appendectomy in A Tertiary Care Hospital.

Abstract

Objective: Globally, acute appendicitis is regarded as one of the leading surgical emergencies and appendectomy con-sidered the definitive treatment. Although appendectomy is a routine procedure, surgical site infection (SSI) remains one of the frequently encountered adverse outcomes that contributes to patient morbidity and increased healthcare burden.
Objective: To determine the frequency of “surgical site infection” (SSI) among patients presenting with acute appendici-tis who underwent open appendectomy.
Methodology: This prospective descriptive observational study was conducted at Department of Surgery, “Dr. Ruth K.M. Pfau Civil Hospital Karachi”, between April and July 2026. A total of 105 patients aged 15–60 years diagnosed with acute appendicitis and undergoing open appendectomy were included through consecutive sampling. SSI was defined as Southampton Grade II or above within 30 days postoperatively. Patients were followed on postoperative days 2, 7, 14 and 30. Statistical analysis conducted using SPSS version 26, with a p-value ≤0.05 considered statistically significant.
Results: Among 105 patients included, SSI was observed in 13 patients (12.4%). Male patients (n=78-74.3%) outnum-ber female patients (n=27-25.7%), with a mean age of 24.5±9.4 years. SSI observed more frequently in patients with higher ASA grades, history of smoking, diabetes mellitus and hypertension, contaminated wounds and complicated ap-pendicitis.
Conclusion: SSI following open appendectomy remains relatively common in our setting, with a frequency consistent with rates reported in similar low- and middle-income countries.
Keywords: Appendectomy, Surgical Site Infection, Southampton wound grading system, Open appendectomy, Wound infection.