The Barts Surgical Infection Risk (B-SIR) tool: external validation and comparison with existing tools to predict surgical site infection after cardiac surgery.

Abstract

Objective: Further to previous development and internal validation of the Barts Surgical Infection Risk (B-SIR) tool, this study sought to explore the external validity of the B-SIR tool and compare it with the Australian Clinical Risk Index (ACRI), and the Brompton and Harefield Infection Score (BHIS). Study design and setting: This multi-centre retrospective analysis of prospectively collected local data included adult (age >=18 years) patients undergoing cardiac surgery between January 2018 and December 2019. Pre-pandemic data were used as a reflection of standard practice. Area under the curve (AUC) was used to validate and compare the predictive power of the scores, and calibration was assessed using the Hosmer-Lemeshow test and calibration plots.