PERIOPERATIVE HYPEROXYGENATION FOR REDUCING RISK OF SURGICAL SITE INFECTION IN COLORECTAL SURGERY PATIENTS

Surgical Site Infections (SSIs) are a postoperative complication that are most prevalent in colorectal surgical patients. From the years 2016 to 2018, The World Health Organization (WHO) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) developed evidence-based guidelines to address surgical site infections. These guidelines support the use of perioperative hyperoxygenation, the administration of a fraction of inspired oxygen concentration of 80% or higher in the perioperative period. We performed a literature review of the studies used to develop WHO and CDC guidelines as well as all recent studies on the topic. The literature review confirmed that there is an association between perioperative hyperoxygenation and a reduced risk for SSIs in patients with endotracheal tubes undergoing general anesthesia. We then aimed to assess clinician’s use of perioperative hyperoxygenation through collecting data from 26 anesthetic records, which revealed 0% compliance with the WHO and CDC guidelines’ recommendation. This finding prompted our recommendation to develop a clinical protocol and educational guideline designed to provide instruction for use of perioperative hyperoxygenation in intubated colorectal surgery patients.