Experienced clinical expert shares insights on Infection Prevention in Surgery

Kimberly-Clark Health Care’s Education Foundation brings Dr Wava Truscott, Director of Medical Sciences and Education from Kimberly-Clark Health Care in Roswell, USA to deliver the first event for the year to clinicians across Australia and New Zealand.

It is estimated that in the Australia-New Zealand (ANZ) region, over 200,000 patients will acquire an infection each year while receiving treatment in our acute care facilities1. This makes healthcare-associated infections (HAI) the most common complication affecting hospitalized patients. Of those infected approximately 7,000 will die2.

In 2008-2009, more than 2.2 million surgical procedures were performed in Australian Hospitals3. With the addition of New Zealand, the estimated number of procedures performed in the region may be greater than 3 million. With surgical site infections (SSI) occurring in 2% to 13% of cases and mortality which can approach 40% to 60% in some procedures4, the criticality of nosocomial infections becomes instantly sobering.

Financially, the healthcare impact of SSI varies considerably depending on the procedure. In a study undertaken in Melbourne, each Coronary Artery Bypass Graft (CABG) infection was calculated to cost an average of $12,419, and each deep sternal infection an average of $31,597. In another study undertaken in Victoria, hip arthroplasty infections were estimated at $34,138 and those occurring after knee surgery $40,940 per infection*.

Dr Wava Truscott, Director Medical Sciences and Education, visited us in October, as part of the Premier Learning Event series sponsored by the Kimberly-Clark Education Foundation. Clinicians from major centres around Australia and New Zealand were engaged by Truscott’s presentation.

She highlighted sources of microbial contamination, talked about reduced patient resistance to infection and also identified some factors that contribute to microbial virulence that are found in and around the operating theatre; which are all potential sources of SSIs.

Audience members were delighted by Truscott’s ability to bring to life the facts around contamination in a way that was pertinent and easy to understand. She noted that Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) survived for 7 weeks on polyester and cotton fabrics and 12 weeks on polyethylene fabrics, whereas Vancomycin-resistant Enterococci (VRE) survived for up to 4 months5; showing that clothing can be a source of contamination.

The information shared by Dr Truscott about non-patient associated risk factors for surgical site infections was well received by over 250 clinicians from Central Sterilization, Operating Room and Infection Control departments. She began the presentation by reminding the attendees that we still have a long road ahead in infection prevention with a quote from Thomas K Hunt. MD, University of California Medical Center San Francisco:

“Despite the major successes we have had, infection remains the major limiter of surgical horizons.”

She closed the presentation by identifying means of reducing contamination and explaining how to maximize the patient’s ability to prevent infection despite contamination.

For more information about this presentation, please contact our Customer Care Line on (AUS) 1800 101 021, (NZ) 0800 482 211 or by email at hccusto@kcc.com.

Dr Wava Truscott is Director of Medical Sciences and Education with Kimberly-Clark Health Care. In this role, Dr Truscott and her team develop, present, and publish clinical and scientific educational programs addressing key topics surrounding infection prevention and improving patient outcomes. She chairs or participates on national committees in the US for the development of test methods and standards setting activities. Dr Truscott received her PhD. in Comparative Pathology from the University of California (Davis campus) with emphasis in Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology.

The Premier Learning Event is a keystone of The Kimberly-Clark Education Foundation. The Education Foundation sponsors Clinical Breakfasts throughout the year on a wide variety of topics relevant to clinical issues. These events are part of an on-going national educational program designed to foster continual improvement in infection prevention and enable sterile supply, operating room and infection control departments to remain at the forefront of best practice and industry trends.

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Please send completed registration cards to Johanna Dahl.
Fax- 02 9922 1225
Email- Johanna.Dahl@kcc.com
Kimberly-Clark, PO Box 343, Milsons Point NSW 1565
Phone: +61 (0)2 9963

  1. Australian Commission; Reducing Harm 2009
  2. Infection Control Association Expert Working Group, National Surveillance of Healthcare Associated Infection in Australia. A report to the Commonwealth Department of Health and Aged Care. 2001:Canberra
  3. Australian Government Department of Health and Aging, The State of our Public Hospitals, June 2010
  4. Haraden BM, Zwemer FL Jr. Descending necrotizing mediastinitis: complication of a simple dental infection. Ann Emerg Med 1997;29:683–6. Estrera AS, Landay MJ, Grisham JM, et al. Descending necrotizing mediastinitis. Surg Gynecol Obstet 1983;157:545–52
  5. Neely AN, J Clin Microbiol;38:724-726
    * Data on file