American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program as a Quality Improvement Tool: A Single Institution's Experience with Vascular Surgical Site Infections

Vascular surgical site infections (VSSIs) result in significant patient morbidity and hospital cost. The objective of this study is to report a single hospital's experience using the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) as an instrument to decrease VSSIs. After review of initial NSQIP data, changes in antibiotic dosage and timing, surgical preparation, patient warming, and oxygenation were put into practice. Records of all patients undergoing vascular surgical operations during a two-year period were reviewed and VSSIs were identified. Statistical comparisons were made between groups before and after implementation of these changes. A total of 478 cases met our criteria. Practice changes were introduced in October 2009 and fully implemented by January 2010. Two hundred forty-three cases were performed in 2009 and 235 in 2010. When operations during the two time periods were compared, significantly fewer VSSIs were identified in 2010 than in 2009 (P = 0.036). NSQIP enabled our institution to identify an unacceptably high level of VSSIs. By implementing changes in our clinical practice, we were able to significantly lower our rate of VSSI.