Third International Oasis Global Conference

October 26 - 27, 2016 | Nanjing, China

The third congress of OASIS Global was held in Nanjing, China from October 26th to October 27th. The World Health Organization (WHO), Chinese Surgical Infection Congress, and OASIS Global collaborated to construct a platform for physicians, nurses, and healthcare specialists from the United States, China, Netherland, Swiss, Canada, Singapore, Vietnam, and Kenya to discuss the global burden of surgical site infections, as well as specific regional issues and solutions. This meeting allowed us to discuss and share experiences in treating patients from underserved regions,  a vitally important component in the fight against SSI.

The Launch of the WHO Global Guidelines on the Prevention of Surgical Site Infections

Under the umbrella of the World Health Organization, Dr. Joseph Solomkin led a group of infection control specialists, epidemiologists, and microbiologists in the fight against SSI. Over the course of two years, the efforts came to fruition when the new guideline for SSI prevention launched on November 3rd.

On November 3rd 2016, The World Health Organization launched its latest “Surgical Site Infection Prevention Guideline” (http://www.who.int/gpsc/en/) (http://www.who.int/gpsc/ssi-prevention-guidelines/en/). The newest guideline was constructed based on extensive evidence-based medicine researches and clinical trials.

Each guideline is graded based on the degree of recommendation and the quality of the evidence. Some of the strong recommendations include:

1. Discontinuing the use of chlorhexidine wipes and pre-surgical showers. Although these procedures are part of the standard clinical protocol, there is insufficient research to show that such activities are related to the reduction of SSI.

2. Use of povidone, chlorhexidine, and alcohol for pre-operative sterilization.

3. Administration of antibiotics prophylaxis no more than 120 minutes before incision.

4. Administration of 80% saturated oxygen through tracheal intubation

Conference Speakers

Dr. Jianan Ren opened the conference by welcoming everyone to Nanjing. More than 200 surgeons and nurses participated in the meeting.

Dr. Robert Sawyer gave a general overview and updates on the definition and current situations of SSI. Surgical site infection is common complication happening in patients recovering from surgeries. While the prevalence of SSI is high in developing countries, its incidence can be reduced.  SSI classification can be based on the depth of the surgical wounds: superficial, deep, and organ space. In recent decades, numerous clinical challenges, such as antibiotics resistant bacteria has made the fight against SSI increasingly difficult.

Dr. Benedetta Allegranzi introduced the WHO’s new SSI prevention guidelines, which synthesized the results of 27 systematic reviews. The new guidelines corrected previous misconception on surgical preparations, antibiotics prophylaxis, and other perioperative preparation steps. 

Dr. Joseph Solomkin further discussed the importance of skin preparation for surgical procedures, and compared the effects of different pre-operative skin sterilization techniques. Although pre-operative showering has become a standard clinical procedure, there is not enough evidence to support the practice in regard to SSI prevention. Based on the systematic review, an antiseptic solution of 70% alcohol and chlorhexidine is the most effective in reducing infection. This discovery makes up one of the WHO guidelines for SSI prevention.

Professor Claire Kilpatrick delivered a talk regarding the Surgical Unit-Based Safety Program (SUSP), which has been effective in reducing the risk of infection in Africa.

Dr. Bijie Hu and Dr. Peter Nthumba shared their experiences with pre-operative hand hygiene in China and Africa.

We were fortunate to have Ms. Li Guo, Ms. Li He, and Ms. Le Thi discuss their views on SSI in China. Their valuable insights as perioperative nurses taught us the important aspects of bacteria-free environments in perioperative settings and their experiences in dealing SSI in under-served regions.

Collaboration with the Chinese Society of Surgical Infection

We were privileged to have the opportunity to collaborate with the Chinese Society of Surgical Infection Society in order to successfully launch the WHO Guidelines in the Asia-Pacific region during the 10th Congressional meeting of the Chinese Society of Surgical Infection.

The introduction of the guidelines received international attention during the launch ceremony, which was kicked off by Dr. Joseph Solomkin, Dr. Robert Sawyer, Dr. Benedetta Allegranzi, Dr. Krista Kaups, and Dr. Zhanliang Li. The OASIS Global team also participated in open floor discussions with over 700 healthcare workers from the Asia-Pacific Regions.

With more of our global peers on board, this valuable collaboration set a new course for us in the battle against surgical site infections.