Risk factors for wound infection in head and neck cancer surgery: A prospective study

Background. The goal of this prospective study is to determine risk factors for wound infections (WI) for patients with head and neck cancer who under went surgical procedure with opening of upper aerodigestive tract mucosa. Methods. One hundred sixty-five consecutive surgical procedures were studie d at Oscar Lambret Cancer Center within a 24-month interval. Twenty-five va riables were recorded for each patient. Statistical evaluation used X-2 tes t analysis (categorical data) and Mann-Whitney test (continuous variables). Results. The overall rate of WI was 41.8%. Univariate analysis indicated th at five variables were significantly related to the likelihood of Wt: tumor stage (p = .044), previous chemotherapy (p = .008), duration of preoperati ve hospital stay (p = .022), permanent tracheostomy (p = .00008), and hypop haryngeal and laryngeal cancers (p = .008). Conclusions. Despite antibiotic prophylaxis, WI occurrence is high. These d ata inform the head and neck surgeon, when a patient is at risk for WI and may help to design future prospective studies. (C) 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.