Frequency of surgical site infection in mesh repair for inguinal hernia

Objectives: to determine the frequency of surgical site infection in mesh repair for inguinal hernias and find out the common organisms involved in wound infection through culture and sensitivity. material and methods: this is a descriptive study of 100 patients who underwent inguinal hernia repair,at surgical 'a' unit lady reading hospital,peshawar,over a period of one year,from february 2007 to january 2008. pre-operative assessment was done for fitness of general anesthesia before mesh repair. results: the overall frequency of surgical site infection was 06% and culture reports showed that staphylococcus aureus was the commonest organism responsible for surgical site infection 4% cases. staphylococcus epidermidis and escherichia coli were found each in 1% of cases. conclusion: propylene mesh repair is the first treatment option for patients with primary and recurrent inguinal hernias with good antibiotics cover according to the most commonly found organisms.