SURGICAL SITE INFECTION ACROSS THE WHOLE NEUROSURGICAL WORKLOAD: A FOURTEEN-MONTH SINGLE-CENTRE SURVEILLANCE STUDY

Abstract

Background: Surgical site infection (SSI) after neurosurgery causes disproportionate morbidity. Methods: Surveillance of 340 consecutive procedures in 327 patients at a tertiary hospital, June 2025–July 2026, by CDC/NHSN criteria. Results: Twenty SSIs occurred, an incidence of 5.9% (95% CI 3.8–8.9). Incidence fell from 7.7% in the first seven months to 4.6% in the second (p = 0.25) despite a 38% volume rise, but peaked at 9.9% in December February. Provisional division-wise rates were highest in neurotrauma (7.1%) and lowest in non-neurotrauma cranial work (3.8%) (p = 0.72). Conclusion: Incidence matched pooled international figures for mixed caseloads; the winter cluster warrants review.