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Critical Conversations: Hospital-Onset Bacteremia, Surgical Site Infections, and Irrigation Solution Mixing Practices

Tuesday, June 17, 2025

6:00 PM - 7:30 PM PT

Location: Ballroom 301A

Sponsored By

Symposia Speaker(s)

David J. Weber, MD, MPH

Charles Addison and Elizabeth Ann Sanders Distinguished Professor of Medicine, Associate Chief Medical Officer, UNC Medical Center, Medical Director, Department of Infection Prevention, UNC Medical Center
UNC Chapel Hill

I do not have any relevant financial / non-financial relationships with any proprietary interests.
Kalvin Yu, MD, FIDSA (he/him/his)

Vice President of Medical Affairs - North American Region
Becton, Dickinson and Company (BD)
Venice, California

I do not have any relevant financial / non-financial relationships with any proprietary interests.
Angela Vassallo (Moderator), MPH, MS, CIC, FAPIC

I do not have any relevant financial / non-financial relationships with any proprietary interests.

Surgical site infections can lead to increases in hospital-reported costs, length of stay, and incidence of hospital-onset bacteremia and fungemia (HOB). Therefore, understanding the burden of surgical site infections and identifying risks in clinical practice are critical to improving patient outcomes and reducing patient morbidity and mortality. Join David J Weber, MD, MPH, Kalvin Yu, MD, FIDSA, and Angela Vassallo, MPH, MS, CIC, FAPIC as they share and discuss alarming insights into operating room irrigation mixing practices and the clinical burden of surgical site infections and hospital-onset bacteremia and fungemia.

Learning Objectives:

Understand the systemic impact of surgical site infections and their implications on patient outcomes.
Assess the incremental burden of surgical site infections and their association with hospital-onset bacteremia and fungemia.
Recall pathogens linked to SSIs, HOB, and PATOS (infection present at time of surgery).
Recognize the risks associated with mixing irrigation solutions in the operating room.
Implement standardized procedures, formal training, and competency testing to eliminate the risks associated with surgical irrigation mixing practices.