POSTOPERATIVE INFECTIONS AFTER GYNECOLOGICAL SURGERIES IN UKRAINE.

Aim: To determine the current prevalence of surgical site infections (SSIs) after gynecological surgeries and antimicrobial resistance of causing pathogens in Ukraine. Materials and Methods: Multicenter prospective observational cohort study was conducted from January 2020 to December 2022 in nine hospitals from eight regions of Ukraine. Definitions of HAIs were adapted from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Healthcare Safety Network. Antibiotic susceptibility was done by the disc diffusion test as recommended by EUCAST. Results: A total 12.2% (420/3450) patients who undergoing gynecological surgeries were found to have SSIs. The difference in SSI rates between the three subgroups by route of surgery was not statistically significant, being 12.0% for the abdominal group,11.1% for the vaginal group, and 12.5% for the combined group. The most common causing pathogens of SSIs was Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Enterobacter spp., Streptococcus spp., and Klebsiella pneumoniae. Many Gram-negative pathogens isolated from SSI cases were found to be multidrug resistant. Conclusions: This study showed that SSIs remains the common complication after gynecological procedures in Ukraine. Best practices should be established and followed to reduce the risk of SSIs associated with gynecologic surgery. Optimizing the antibiotic prophylaxis and empirical antimicrobial therapy may reduce the burden of SSIs in gynecological surgeries, but prevention is the key element.