Most infections are caused by bacteria on the patient 's skin entering the surgical wound . Scientists in the U.S. have devised an implant in a tiny silk 'purse ' that kills infections after surgery and then dissolves in the body . Up to four in 100 people undergoing surgery in the UK will develop an infection , and this can prolong hospital stays by as much as nine days . Surgical wound infections are the leading cause of hospital readmissions after operations , according to a study published last month . Most infections are caused by bacteria on the patient 's skin entering the surgical wound . The most common culprits are Staphylococcus aureus bacteria , responsible for 20 per cent of surgical site infections , coagulase negative staphylococcus , and enterococcus bacteria . The infection can usually be treated with antibiotics but sometimes patients need more complex treatment , including further surgery . The new implant uses heat to kill off bacteria . It consists of a tiny , magnesium coil wrapped in a pocket of silk protein , and is implanted during surgery - if the patient later shows sign of infection , the implant can be switched on using a remote control . This raises the temperature of the coil . The silk protein protects the coil - both harmlessly dissolve in the body over the next fortnight . This is an improvement on previous medical implant devices , which are made from non-degradable materials that need to be removed . Researchers at Tufts University have used the implant in mice infected with Staphylococcus aureus , raising its temperature for two periods of ten minutes . Within 24 hours the tissue was infection-free . The device , including the coil , completely dissolved after 15 days . 'This is an important step forward for the development of on-demand medical devices that can be turned on remotely , ' the researchers said . 'These wireless strategies could help manage post-surgical infection , for example , or pave the way for eventual `` wi-fi '' drug delivery . ' The team has also carried out experiments using remote control to deliver antibiotics to treat E.coli and Staphylococcus aureus . Stella Vig , consultant vascular and general surgeon at Croydon University Hospital , said : 'This is an exciting new concept and an innovative tool against the war of surgical site infection . This new purse could allow a reduction of bacterial load with an implantable device . The concept of reducing bacterium within the tissues and thereby reducing risk of infections is not new , and was previously achieved by deploying antibiotic beads within the tissues . These required retrieval and therefore are not used routinely . 'This new device would allow a reduction of bacterial load with an implantable device , which then disappears without the need for surgery to remove it . 'Surgical site infections are costly as they increase the length of stay for patients and can lead to further surgery . ' Meanwhile , a team at the University of South Florida has developed a new antibiotic to fight the superbug methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus or MRSA , which kills thousands of people worldwide each year . The bug is a form of Staphylococcus aureus which does not respond to the usual antibiotics . The new treatment is based on a class of drugs called quinazolines , which have been used in treating malaria and cancer . They have recently been shown to act on bacteria , too . 'In recent years , MRSA has become resistant to vancomycin , our most valuable treatment option against staphylococcal infections , ' said Dr Lindsey N. Shaw , whose team developed the new drugs . 'Bacterial disease remains the second-leading cause of death globally , especially among children and the elderly . 'We need new drugs to fight these infections . '
Surgical wound infections are the leading cause of hospital ##ization . New tiny silk ' purse ' that kills mice after surgery is being performed . Has been treated successfully in patients infected with Staphylococcus aureus .