Costs and health burden of surgical site infections and anastomotic leakage in major abdominal surgery

Background

Surgical site infection (SSI) is a common postoperative complication. SSI, including anastomotic leakage (AL), is a burden for patients and leads to increased costs, although insights as to the true costs from prospective data are limited. This study aimed to provide an overview of the impact of SSI and AL specifically on total societal costs and the quality of life (QoL) of patients.