The Microbiology of Surgical Infections
Mihaela Leșe, Micu-Chis R D

Abstract
Objective. The purpose of the study is the inventory of isolated pathogens from the patients treated in the General Surgery Department of the Baia Mare Emergency County Hospital, the associated treatment, the postoperative mortality and the related costs. Materials and methods. All positive cultures from samples collected in 2017 from patients hospitalized in general surgery department (surgical wound, peritoneal fluid, sputum, urine, stool, hemoculture, tegument) were selected. From the patient files, the type of surgical procedures performed, duration of hospitalization, costs related to their hospitalization, antibiotic therapy and postoperative progression was retained. Results. A number of 411 patients were diagnosticated with infections (11.47% of all patients hospitalized in 2017) and 686 bacteriaidentified. There were 149 infections with E. coli (36.3%), 87 with Coagulase-negative staphylococcus (21.2%), 78 with Enterococcus (19%), 67 with Streptococcus viridans (16.3%) and 58 with methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus (14.1%). Most deaths were associated with Escherichia coli infection - 22 patients (56.4% of the patients infected with this bacterium, p = 0.01), and out of all the germs, Acinetobacter baumannii was the only one found more frequently in healthcare-associated infections compared to community-acquired infections (17 vs. 6).The average length of hospital stay in patients with infections was 10.9 days compared to the average length of stay of all the patients in 2017 which was 5.6 days. Mortality was 9.7% in patients with infections, compared with a general mortality of 4.8% in 2017.Certain risk factors, such as anemia, prolong the length of hospitalization and increase the risk of death . Conclusions. The most common infections treated in the General Surgery Department were those community-acquired. The most common deaths were reported in patients infected with E. coli, Enterococcus, Candida and Acinetobacter. Stricter isolation of patients infected with Acinetobacter baumannii is required. The association of anemia in the patients hospitalized with infections significantly increases the risk of death and prolongs the duration of hospitalization.

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