Comparative Study of Postoperative Surgical Site Infection in Diabetic and Non-Diabetic Patients Undergoing General Surgical Procedures

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Published: 2026-01-15
DOI: https://doi.org/10.61919/4pe13420
Keywords:
surgical site infection, diabetes mellitus, postoperative infection, general surgery, HbA1c, wound infection, hyperglycemia

Main Article Content

Afaq Ali
Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, The Superior University, Lahore, Pakistan
Usra Naeem
Associate Professor, Department of Emerging Allied Health Technologies, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, The Superior University, Lahore, Pakistan
Muhammad Naveed Babur
Professor, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, The Superior University, Lahore, Pakistan

Abstract

Background: Surgical site infection (SSI) remains an important postoperative complication, and diabetes mellitus may increase susceptibility through hyperglycemia, impaired immune responses, and delayed wound healing. Objective: To compare postoperative SSI occurrence and infection characteristics between diabetic and non-diabetic patients undergoing surgical procedures and to describe perioperative glycemic characteristics among diabetic participants. Methods: This prospective comparative cohort study included 132 adult patients at DHQ Hospital, Dera Ismail Khan, with 66 diabetic and 66 non-diabetic participants. Patients were followed postoperatively for wound infection. SSI was categorized as superficial, deep, or organ/space infection. Results: Sixteen of 132 patients developed SSI (12.1%). SSI occurred in 11/66 diabetic patients (16.7%) and 5/66 non-diabetic patients (7.6%), corresponding to an unadjusted risk ratio of 2.20 (95% CI 0.81–5.98; Pearson χ² p=0.110). Among infected patients, deep SSI occurred in 9/11 diabetic cases (81.8%) compared with 2/5 non-diabetic cases (40.0%); Fisher’s exact p=0.245. Five infections were superficial, 11 were deep, and no organ/space SSI was recorded. Seven infections occurred during days 7–14 and nine during days 15–30. Conclusion: Diabetic patients demonstrated a higher observed postoperative SSI frequency and a greater proportion of deep infections, but these differences were statistically uncertain in this sample. Larger prospective studies with adjustment for surgical and metabolic confounders are required.

Article Details

Issue

Vol. 4 No. 1 (2026)

Section

Articles
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

How to Cite

[1]
Ali, A. et al. 2026. Comparative Study of Postoperative Surgical Site Infection in Diabetic and Non-Diabetic Patients Undergoing General Surgical Procedures. Journal of Health, Wellness and Community Research. 4, 1 (Jan. 2026), 1–10. DOI:https://doi.org/10.61919/4pe13420.

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