Contact: Holly Botsford, External Relations and Engagement Manager
O: 414-955-8761, C: 414-688-7960
Milwaukee, Aug. 28, 2017 – Three Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) surgical faculty members recently collaborated with the Wisconsin Department of Health Services to develop the state’s first evidence-based surgical site infection (SSI) prevention guidelines. Charles Edmiston, Jr., PhD, emeritus professor of surgery; Gary Seabrook, MD, professor and chief of vascular surgery; and Jon Gould, MD, chief of the Division of General Surgery, have been on the national forefront to create evidence-based risk reduction strategies for surgical site infections, a significant source of patient morbidity.
The guidelines address several measures in reducing the risk of infection in surgery patients, including antimicrobial prophylaxis, glycemic control, maintaining normal body temperature and tissue oxygenation, antiseptic skin preparation, wound management, interventions for prosthetic joint arthroplasty and microbial surveillance strategies. Recommendations address the benefits of surgical care bundles for reducing the risks of infection before, during and after surgery.
Dr. Edmiston is the consultant to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, and the guidelines were written in collaboration with various state healthcare and medical professionals.
“Surgical-site infections are the most frequently reported healthcare-associated infection in the State of Wisconsin and are associated with significant patient morbidity and mortality,” Dr. Edmiston said. “Efforts to reduce the risk of a SSI, improving surgical patient outcomes, requires embracing evidence-based risk reduction strategies. The Wisconsin Supplemental SSI Prevention Guidelines include the latest evidence-based practices validated by the peer scientific and medical/surgical literature.”
About the Medical College of Wisconsin
With a history dating back to 1893, The Medical College of Wisconsin is dedicated to leadership and excellence in education, patient care, research and community engagement. More than 1,200 students are enrolled in MCW’s medical school and graduate school programs in Milwaukee, 56 medical students enrolled at MCW-Green Bay, and 26 students matriculated to MCW-Central Wisconsin in 2016. MCW’s School of Pharmacy will open in 2017 or 2018 with an initial class size of 60 students. A major national research center, MCW is the largest research institution in the Milwaukee metro area and second largest in Wisconsin. In FY2015, faculty received more than $158 million in external support for research, teaching, training and related purposes. This total includes highly competitive research and training awards from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Annually, MCW faculty direct or collaborate on more than 3,200 research studies, including clinical trials. Additionally, more than 1,500 physicians provide care in virtually every specialty of medicine for more than 525,000 patients annually.
