Abstract
For centuries, surgical infections have been one of the most important issues in surgical practice. The availability of powerful broad-spectrum antibiotics, strict adherence to the rules of asepsis and antiseptics, and new approaches to the prevention and treatment of wound infection leave this problem unresolved to this day. The development of the infectious process in the field of surgical intervention slows down the recovery of a wound defect, increases the risk of adverse outcomes and requires repeated operations, which increases the length of hospital stay and health care costs. Opportunistic or pathogenic microorganisms can infect an operating wound, causing a surgical infection, a potential complication of the operation. Gram-positive cocci, especially opportunistic Staphylococcus aureus, are the most common cause of the infectious process in general surgery. Gram-negative microorganisms also play a big role. The occurrence of an infectious process slows down the recovery processes of the surgical wound area. It also increases the rehabilitation time of patients after surgery, hospital stay and material costs of treatment. Methods of asepsis and antiseptics have been the main means of preventing surgical infections for many centuries. Methods of biological antiseptics, including the use of antibiotics, enzymes and bacteriophages, as well as methods of physical antiseptics, such as irrigation and drainage of wounds, the use of improved dressings and wound coverings, have become the most common. Methods aimed at improving the regeneration of postoperative wounds constitute a separate group of strategies for preventing infectious complications. However, despite significant achievements in this field, the problem of surgical infection remains unresolved and interest in it does not decrease. Currently, research is actively underway aimed at developing more economical, convenient and effective methods and tools.