Our hospital is committed to keeping patients safe and reducing the risk of surgical site infections (SSIs). An SSI occurs at the site of a surgical incision. Germs can get into the incision area and cause an infection. It can develop within 30 days of an operation, or sometimes even up to one year if an implant (such as a knee or hip joint implant) is used. Infections can be minor, or occasionally they can increase complications that result in a longer length of stay in the hospital, or an increased readmission rate for patients. Sometimes when patients are admitted to the hospital, they can get infections. These are called health care-associated infections. Post-operative SSIs are the most common health care-associated infections in surgical patients. If you have any questions about our hospital’s infection prevention and control program, please contact us.

One of the most important ways we prevent infection is by giving patients antibiotics at the right time before surgery. This is called timely antibiotic prophylaxis, and it helps protect patients during and after their procedure. Ontario hospitals are required to publicly report timely antibiotic administration rates for hip and knee replacement surgeries. This supports transparency, accountability, and quality improvement across the healthcare system. Our Infection Prevention and Control (IPAC) team internally monitors tracks infection rates for all:

Clostridioides difficile (C. difficile) is a type of bacteria that can live in the bowel. About 1–3% of people carry these bacteria without symptoms. However, when someone takes antibiotics, the normal balance of bacteria in the gut can be disrupted, which can allow C. difficile to grow and cause diarrhea and other intestinal symptoms.

Our hospital monitors C. difficile infection rates as part of our commitment to patient safety, infection prevention, and transparency. Tracking these rates helps us identify trends, improve care practices, and reduce the risk of infection for patients.

When a patient requires long-term access to medication or fluids through an IV, a central line is put in place. A central line associated blood stream infection (CLI or CLABSI) occurs when a pathogen enters the blood stream through the central lines.

All hospitals with Critical Care Units are required to report into the Critical Care Information System (CCIS) – a centralized data collection system where hospitals report a variety of information. This information is used to calculate the CLI/CLABSI rate data that must be publicly reported.

Patients can reduce the chance of infection by following instructions given to them by their healthcare team. Appropriate hand hygiene practice is another way to prevent the spread of infection.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE) are types of bacteria that are resistant to certain antibiotics. Because they are harder to treat, infections caused by these bacteria require careful monitoring and prevention.

When these bacteria enter the bloodstream, it is called a bacteremia or bloodstream infection. These infections can be serious, especially for people who are already unwell or have weakened immune systems.

Hospitals closely track MRSA and VRE bloodstream infections as important indicators of patient safety and quality of care. Monitoring these rates helps hospitals identify trends, improve infection prevention practices, and reduce the risk of infections spreading within the healthcare setting.

Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is a lung infection that can develop in patients who are receiving breathing support from a ventilator in a Critical Care Unit (CCU). A ventilator is a machine that helps a patient breathe when they are unable to do so on their own.

Because patients on ventilators cannot breathe, cough, or clear their lungs normally, bacteria can sometimes enter the lungs and cause infection. Hospitals use strict infection prevention practices to reduce this risk, including proper hand hygiene, equipment cleaning, and patient positioning.

All hospitals with CCUs are required to report VAP data to the Critical Care Information System (CCIS), a provincial data system. This information is used to calculate and publicly report VAP rates, supporting transparency, patient safety, and quality improvement.