Smoking increases surgical site infection risk in trauma patients

A significant association between smoking and surgical site infections (SSI) was identified in trauma patients, with 24.3% of those studied being smokers. Compared to nonsmokers, smokers had higher SSI rates (0.9% vs. 0.7%) and an increased risk persisted even after controlling for confounding factors. The strongest correlation was observed in patients with severe trauma. These findings highlight the urgent need for targeted counseling and possible interventions to reduce infection risks for this vulnerable population.