Abstract
Objective: To investigate the incidence of surgical site infection (SCI) in cancer neurosurgeries in a public
teaching hospital in the North Region, highlighting the main etiological agents and risk factors involved in the onset of infections. Methods: This is a descriptive and cross-sectional study, carried out with 1,181
neurosurgery patients, in the period 2013-2017. Data collection was performed in the files of the Hospital
Infection Control Commission. The variables studied were: sex, age, underlying disease, surgical procedure,
etiologic agent, risk factors and antibiotics. Microsoft Office software and SPSS, version 20.0 were used for
storage and statistical analysis. The study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee. Results: The
study found that 63 (5.32%) patients had infections, of which 31 (49.21%) were female and 32 (50.79%) male.
38 (60.32%) had brain cancer and 33 (52.38%) underwent intracranial tumor microsurgery. Acinetobacter
baumannii (7.94%) and Enterobacter sp (7.94%) were the most reported etiologic agents. The most used
antibiotics were Ceftriaxone and Vancomycin. Peripheral venous access (44.44%) was the main risk factor for
infection. Conclusion: The rate of SCI observed was low, reflecting the preventive measures implemented in
the hospital service.