Vukčević: Surgical infections account for about 30 percent of hospital infections, with contaminated and emergency surgeries at the highest risk

Surgical infections account for about 30 percent of all hospital infections, and the riskiest are contaminated and emergency surgeries, especially in abdominal and thoracic surgery, as well as in gynecology and urology, said Dr. Batrić Vukčević, a surgeon at the Clinical Center of Montenegro (KCCG), on Boje jutra on Vijesti Television.

Vukčević points out that surgical infections occur more frequently during the summer months, especially in cities like Podgorica, due to high temperatures and increased sweating, which favors the development of bacteria.

He states that the KCCG has adequate therapy for the treatment of hospital infections, which are most often treated with antibiotics and local care.

According to data from the Institute of Public Health, hospital infections in Montenegro occur in five to 15 out of 100 patients, which, as Vukčević says, is within European and world averages.

"The spectrum of hospital infections is wide, from mild to very severe, which in rare cases can be fatal," said Vukčević, adding that the most vulnerable are older patients, chronically ill patients, oncology patients and people with weakened immunity.

As an additional challenge, he highlights the growth of bacterial resistance to antibiotics, which, he says, has been partially accelerated both during and after the Covid-19 pandemic due to the overuse of antibiotics.