ABSTRACT
Aim: This study was conducted to assess the effectiveness of early versus late dressing removal in contaminated and clean surgical wounds. Study design: A Prospective non-randomized study. Place and duration: In the Surgical Unit of AllamaIqbal Teaching Hospital, Sialkot from March 2018 to March 2019. Method: Sixty patients age eighteen or above (planned surgery and emergency surgery) were enrolled in the study, admitted in hospital and operated. All surgical wounds met the criteria of contaminated and clean surgical wounds. Thirty patients were included in each group with early and late dressing removal. In the early removal group, within 48 hours, the surgical dressing was removed and in the late group 48 hours after surgical intervention. The incidence of deep and superficial surgical site (SSI) infection was studied in these two groups. Additional subordinate factors such as dehiscence of wound incidence and secondary suturing were too assessed. Results: Thirty patients were included in each group with early and late dressing removal for final scrutiny. The occurrence of superficial surgical sight infection was lower expressively in the early dressing removal group. The time required for full recovery (days) (8.60-10.70; p=0.734) was shorter considerably in the early dressing removal group. In the early dressing removal group, there was the significantly shorter postoperative hospital stay (days) (10.50 vs. 15.0; p ≤ 0.001). Conclusion: Early dressing removal considerably decreases the superficial SSIs incidence in contaminated and clean surgical wounds. It also considerably decreases the time of full wound healing and facilitates short hospital stay as compared to late dressing removal.