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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2019 Nov 15.
Published in final edited form as: Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. 2016 Aug 30;37(11):1288–1301. doi: 10.1017/ice.2016.174

TABLE 5.

Distribution of Pathogens Associated With Surgical Site Infections (SSIs) Frequently Reported to the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN), by Type of Surgery, 2011–2014

Pathogen Total no. (%) of pathogens No. (%) of pathogens, by type of surgery
Abdominala Breastb Cardiacc Kidneyd Necke Neurologicalf Ob/Gyng Orthopedich Prostatei Transplantj Vasculark
Staphylococcus aureus 30,902 (20.7) 6,922 (9.1) 369 (39.0) 3,430 (30.4) 45 (15.8) 36 (17.0) 676 (31.2) 3,670 (17.7) 15,163 (44.2) 18 (29.5) 71 (8.7) 502 (26.9)
Escherichia coli 20,429 (13.7) 14,955 (19.6) 37 (3.9) 647 (5.7) 41 (14.4) 12 (5.7) 72 (3.3) 2,787 (13.4) 1,625 (4.7) 7 (11.5) 81 (9.9) 165 (8.8)
Coagulase-negative staphylococci 11,799 (7.9) 3,273 (4.3) 93 (9.8) 1,641 (14.5) 25 (8.8) 23 (10.8) 522 (24.1) 1,520 (7.3) 4,461 (13.0) 4 (6.6) 123 (15.1) 114 (6.1)
Enterococcus faecalis 11,156 (7.5) 7,197 (9.4) 40 (4.2) 325 (2.9) 25 (8.8) 7 (3.3) 40 (1.8) 1,710 (8.3) 1,620 (4.7) 5 (8.2) 52 (6.4) 135 (7.2)
Pseudomonas aeruginosa 8,458 (5.7) 4,469 (5.9) 103 (10.9) 918 (8.1) 20 (7.0) 13 (6.1) 90 (4.2) 990 (4.8) 1,672 (4.9) 3 (4.9) 44 (5.4) 136 (7.3)
Klebsiella (pneumoniae/oxytoca) 7,067 (4.7) 4,318 (5.7) 20 (2.1) 650 (5.8) 10 (3.5) 12 (5.7) 82 (3.8) 856 (4.1) 943 (2.7) 4 (6.6) 56 (6.9) 116 (6.2)
Bacteroides spp. 7,041 (4.7) 5,690 (7.5) 5 (0.5) 40 (0.4) 15 (5.3) 1 (0.5) 5 (0.2) 1,108 (5.3) 128 (0.4) 5 (8.2) 10 (1.2) 34 (1.8)
Enterobacter spp. 6,615 (4.4) 3,475 (4.6) 40 (4.2) 650 (5.8) 15 (5.3) 13 (6.1) 134 (6.2) 741 (3.6) 1,401 (4.1) 1 (1.6) 27 (3.3) 118 (6.3)
Other Enterococcus spp. 6,410 (4.3) 4,692 (6.1) 13 (1.4) 160 (1.4) 19 (6.7) 2 (0.9) 13 (0.6) 806 (3.9) 592 (1.7) 3 (4.9) 57 (7.0) 53 (2.8)
Proteus spp. 4,196 (2.8) 1,473 (1.9) 38 (4.0) 516 (4.6) 13 (4.6) 1 (0.5) 19 (0.9) 919 (4.4) 1,108 (3.2) 2 (0.2) 107 (5.7)
Enterococcus faecium 4,140 (2.8) 3,451 (4.5) 2 (0.2) 105 (0.9) 5 (1.8) 1 (0.5) 10 (0.5) 152 (0.7) 271 (0.8) 2 (3.3) 118 (14.5) 23 (1.2)
Candida albicans 3,351 (2.2) 2,736 (3.6) 6 (0.6) 160 (1.4) 9 (3.2) 11 (5.2) 31 (1.4) 215 (1.0) 132 (0.4) 2 (3.3) 31 (3.8) 18 (1.0)
Viridans streptococci 2,639 (1.8) 1,849 (2.4) 8 (0.8) 81 (0.7) 6 (2.1) 15 (7.1) 24 (1.1) 368 (1.8) 254 (0.7) 15 (1.8) 19 (1.0)
Group B streptococci 1,879 (1.3) 291 (0.4) 14 (1.5) 80 (0.7) 1 (0.5) 5 (0.2) 680 (3.3) 765 (2.2) 2 (0.2) 41 (2.2)
Serratia spp. 1,857 (1.2) 333 (0.4) 36 (3.8) 579 (5.1) 2 (0.7) 4 (1.9) 77 (3.6) 235 (1.1) 527 (1.5) 1 (1.6) 15 (1.8) 48 (2.6)
Other pathogen 21,070 (14.1) 11,183 (14.7) 122 (12.9) 1,299 (11.5) 35 (12.3) 60 (28.3) 368 (17.0) 3,968 (19.1) 3,679 (10.7) 6 (9.8) 111 (13.6) 239 (12.8)
Total 149,009 (100) 76,307 (100) 946 (100) 11,281 (100) 285 (100) 212 (100) 2,168 (100) 20,725 (100) 34,341 (100) 61 (100) 815 (100) 1,868 (100)

NOTE. Ob/Gyn, obstetrical and gynecological.

a

Appendectomy, bile duct, liver, or pancreatic surgery, gallbladder surgery, colon surgery, gastric surgery, herniorrhaphy, small bowel surgery, spleen surgery, abdominal surgery, and rectal surgery.

b

Breast surgery.

c

Cardiac surgery, coronary artery bypass graft with chest incision with or without donor incision, pacemaker surgery, and thoracic surgery.

d

Kidney surgery.

e

Neck surgery and thyroid and/or parathyroid surgery.

f

Craniotomy and ventricular shunt.

g

Cesarean delivery, abdominal hysterectomy, ovarian surgery, and vaginal hysterectomy.

h

Open reduction of fracture, hip prosthesis, knee prosthesis, limb amputation, spinal fusion, refusion of spine, and laminectomy.

i

Prostate surgery.

j

Heart transplant, kidney transplant, and liver transplant.

k

Abdominal aortic aneurysm repair, shunt for dialysis, carotid endarterectomy, and peripheral vascular bypass surgery.