¹Kalp Damar Cerrahisi AD, GATA, Ankara
²Girne Asker Hastanesi, KKTC Surgical site infections after venous and arterial intervention are the leading cause of nosocomial infections and important cause of postoperative morbidity. Preventing surgical site infection will be easier if the vascular surgeon recognizes epidemiology, patient risk factors and the factors that decrease the incidence. Gram positive bacteria are the most frequent bacteria encountered in the vascular surgical site infections. Staphylococcus aureus, especially methicilline resistant one is the most frequently encountered pathogen, and seen more than one third of the infections. Nasal colonization of methicilline sensitive or resistant S. aureus, previous admissions, unsuccessful vascular repair and groin incisions are the important risk factors of the vascular surgical site in- fections. Preoperative procedures that decrease nasal and skin colonization of staphylococcus aureus with effective prophylactic bactericidal antibioteraphy, attentive surgical technique, optimization of host immune system mechanisms (temperature, oxygenation, blood glucose levels), and appropriate postoperative care can diminish the vascular surgical site infections. Keywords : Surgical wound infections; antibiotic prophylaxis