LAUSR

Surgical site infections (SSIs) are postoperative infection manifestations at the site of surgery performed. SSI is prevalent at a high rate of 1.2 – 5.2% in developed countries [1] . Amongst hospital-acquired infections, SSIs are the most costly and common, with a 20% presentation [2] . SSIs increase mortality risk by 2 – 11 folds and extend hospital stay by 9.7 days [2] . Patients with SSIs are vulnerable to a higher risk of hospital readmissions, longer ICU stays, and various other postoperative complications, thus not only causing fi nancial stress on the patients but also burdening the economy and healthcare system of the country [1] . SSI occurs due to microbial invasion and pathogenesis at the surgical site. It mostly begins with contamination by local micro fl ora or environmental pathogens. Staphylococcus aureus , Escherichia coli , Pseudomonas aeruginosa , and Citrobacter species are the common bacteria involved in SSIs [3] . Duration of surgery, length of preoperative hospital stays, preexisting infections, and diabetes are some of the leading risk factors for nur-turing microorganisms that lead to SSIs [1] . The presence of any sort of foreign materials, like surgical implants and dressing on a wound, provides an anchoring surface for bacterial invasion [1] . Similarly, sutures also act as prosthetic implants and bio fi lms have been identi fi ed to form over them. They provide conductive material for the adherence and colonization of infection-causing agents. Therefore, sutures coated with a wide-range antibiotic like triclosan started being used for surgeries, preventing it from becoming a nidus for bio fi lm and infection [4] . However, unfor-tunately, these antibiotics are progressively losing their effec-tiveness due to antibiotic resistance.