Background:

despite advances in surgical, anesthetic and biotechnology techniques, postoperative infections continue to be a complication for the operated patient, increase morbidity and mortality, and have unfavorable socioeconomic repercussions.

Objective:

to determine the incidence of postoperative infections and the possible factors related to their appearance in the patients attended in our institution.

Methods:

an observational, descriptive and transversal study of 72 patients operated of major surgeries who presented postoperative infections in the General Surgery service of the General Hospital Manuel Piti Fajardo at Florida, in the 2015-2017 triennium, according to selected variables.

Results:

the postoperative infections rate was lower than expected. The dirty elective operations became more infected. The superficial incisional infections were the most frequent ones. The vast majority of interventions took less than two hours. The most isolated germ was Staphylococcus aureus. The average length of hospital stay increased considerably and the mortality rate was low.

Conclusions:

in general, the postoperative infections’ rate was considered acceptable, and low mortality, compared to other reports. The degree of contamination and type of surgery were related to the appearance of infections. Emphasis should be placed on preventive measures such as antimicrobial prophylaxis and others that should be taken in the preoperative period, to continue during the intervention, and to be extended in the postoperative period, due to the unfavorable socioeconomic repercussions of this fearsome complication.

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