SSI Definitions Framework
Standardized veterinary terminology for classifying, monitoring, and preventing surgical site infections.
Reliable SSI prevention begins with a shared language. This framework translates expert consensus terminology into clinically usable definitions — linked to contamination pathways, protocols, surgical workflows, surveillance systems, and team responsibilities.
Four dimensions
Core SSI Definitions
The five tissue-layer definitions — SSI (parent), Superficial, Deep, Organ/Bone/Space, and Implant-Associated — each rendered through a shared template with two voices: consensus and clinical interpretation.
Browse definitionsWound Classification
SWC I–IV with clinical interpretation, risk profiles, and an interactive 'Classify This Wound' decision tool. Includes the contamination → colonization → infection biology spectrum.
Open classificationSurveillance Framework
Active vs. passive surveillance, the 30-day timeline (Day 0 → Day 10–14 → Week 4 → Day 30), surveillance terms, and the 'surveillance effect.'
Open surveillanceContamination Pathways
The eight pathways through which infection enters the surgical field — the system these definitions describe and prevent. Cross-linked from every Core Definition.
Open pathwaysSurgical 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 · Open Access — CC BY-NC
Every definition, criterion, surveillance term, and wound class on these pages derives from this expert consensus. Consensus text on each page paraphrases the paper; clinical interpretation, gray zones, and misclassification scenarios are VETSSI editorial.