Purpose: Surgical Site Infections (SSI) are still common complications and they can be associated with serious morbidity, mortality, and cost of hospitalizations. The author conducted a cross-study to determine independent risk factors for surgical site infection in Viet Duc hospital supported by JICA associated with three central hospitals in Viet Nam. Materials and methods: A prospective cross-study of the patients who underwent the operations performed at the Viet Duc hospital together with other hospitals in Viet Nam: Bach Mai, Hue Central Hospital and Cho Ray Hospital from Feb. 2008 to Apr. 2008. The operations in different specialities as neurosurgery, orthopaedic surgery, abdominal surgery, peadiatric surgery... during this time were collected and filled up in the form created by JICA and Cho Ray Hospital. A 1000 operation data was collected in each hospital and analysed by SPSS 13.0. Risk factors as ASA, previous operations, surgical wound classifications, drainage and implant, SIRS... were considered and mentioned in the survey form. Results: During the period of Feb, 2008 to Apr. 2008, Viet Duc Hospital has collected a total 1030 forms, after cleaming 1004 forms were analysed. Among 1004 operrations, there were 713 elective operations and 291 emergency operations
Augmentin, Unasyl, Cefuroxim, Metronidazol were the most used antibiotics without antibiotic use guidelines. There were 85 SSI cases, accounted 8.5 percent of which 64.7 percent were superficial SSI, 35.3 percent deep SSI. Organisms mostly isolated were E.coli
K.pneumoniae. Conclusions and recommendations: Event the limitation and strengths of study, it has showed the incidence of SSI compared with other hospitals and in the past. In fact the nosocomial infection control has improved significantly which could control the situation, including SSI. However, the hospitals in Vietnam as the developing countries are still challenging with this problem impacted to the treatment quality. In order to reduce the risk of SSI in the surgical hospital, the surveillance systems of SSI and guidelines for antibiotic prophylaxis are mostly required.