Risk Factors Associated with Wound Infection Following Caesarean Section - A Hospital Based Study

Aim: To find out the risk factors associated with wound infection following caesarean section.

Design: Prospective cohort study.

Place and Duration of Study: This study was carried out in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Lalla-Ded Hospital, Government Medical College, Srinagar from October 2014 to September 2015.

Methodology: Total of 1560 women who had undergone CS for delivery during study period were considered as eligible. Wound was observed for the development of infection on the third, fifth and seventh postoperative day. Patients who developed wound infection constituted the cases (116) and those with healthy wound constituted the controls (1444).

Results: Incidence of wound infection following caesarean section was found to be 7.4% in this study. Wound infection was found to be common in women who had BMI of ≥25, who had absent membranes before surgery, who were diabetic, who underwent emergency surgery and the woman who had vertical skin incision.

Conclusion: The risk of developing wound infection after caesarean section depends on multiple factors. Therefore, increased awareness on these risk factors and prevention of these infections should be a clinical and public health priority.