The Mosaic of Surgical Site Infection Prevention in Veterinary Orthopedic Surgery
Vezzoni A — In Preparation
Citation pending publication
Resource Hub
Publications, guidelines, and downloadable tools for SSI prevention in practice
Surgical site infection definitions consensus: a first step toward improving prevention in veterinary medicine
Verwilghen DR, Pelosi A, Abbas M, et al. — American Journal of Veterinary Research, 2026
DOI: 10.2460/ajvr.25.03.0099
An international Delphi consensus that establishes the first standardized terminology for surgical site infections in veterinary medicine. A multidisciplinary panel of 32 expert specialists agreed 18 definitions spanning superficial, deep, organ/space, and implant-associated SSIs, surgical wound classification, surgical procedure types, surveillance terms, and antimicrobial periods. The foundational reference for the VETSSI SSI Definitions Framework. Open Access (CC BY-NC).
Eugster S, Schawalder P, Gaschen F, Boerlin P
A prospective study of postoperative infections in dogs and cats
Veterinary Surgery, 2004
View PaperTurk R, Singh A, Weese JS
Prospective surgical site infection surveillance in dogs
Veterinary Surgery, 2015
View PaperNelson LL
Surgical site infections in small animal surgery
Veterinary Clinics of North America: Small Animal Practice, 2011
View PaperACVS Guidelines for Perioperative Antibiotic Use in Small Animal Surgery
American College of Veterinary Surgeons (ACVS) — 2022
ECVS Position Statement on Surgical Site Infection Prevention
European College of Veterinary Surgeons (ECVS) — 2021
International Society for Companion Animal Infectious Diseases: Antimicrobial Use Guidelines
ISCAID Antimicrobial Guidelines Working Group — 2019
Preoperative SSI Prevention Checklist
PDF · 148 KB
A structured checklist covering all preoperative SSI prevention measures from patient assessment through skin preparation. Suitable for lamination and OR use.
Perioperative Antibiotic Stewardship Quick Reference
PDF · 210 KB
Agent selection guide, dosing table, and timing reference for perioperative antibiotic prophylaxis in common veterinary surgical procedures.
SSI Surveillance Audit Template
PDF · 95 KB
A practice-level audit tool for tracking surgical site infections by procedure type, identifying patterns, and benchmarking against published SSI rates.