JAMA : the journal of the American Medical Association
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Surgical site infections can result in substantial morbidity following inpatient surgery. Little is known about serious infections following ambulatory surgery. ⋯ Among patients in 8 states undergoing ambulatory surgery, rates of postsurgical visits for CS-SSIs were low relative to all causes; however, they may represent a substantial number of adverse outcomes in aggregate. Thus, these serious infections merit quality improvement efforts to minimize their occurrence.