Surgical site infections: surveillance measures in the early discharge after breast cancer surgery

Abstract

This prospective descriptive study was intended to identify the post-discharge occurrence of surgical site infection in patients submitted to mastectomy and quadrantectomy who were previously oriented about the necessary home care procedures. The study was carried out in the Breast Outpatient Unit of HSP/UNIFESP from February to July, 2002 and approved by the Institution's Committee of Ethics in Research. Thirty-six patients were included in the study and signed an Informed Consent Form. Participants' mean age was 59.1 years; most of them (69,4%) had elementary education, and were predominantly housekeepers (75,0%). Follow up in the outpatient unit showed that 77,8% of those patients did not present any surgical site infection while this type of problem was found in 22,2%. This latter group included four obese patients and three with diabetes mellitus. Although several factors are likely to influence surgical site infection occurrences, the present study findings indicated high infection site rates. For the nursing team, the use of an instrument specifically developed to evaluate surgical wound on a follow up visit is an important tool to systematize the postoperative surveillance of mastectomized patients.