comparative study of clean surgical wound management with and without dressings

ABSTRACT

The covering of the primarily sutured surgical wound with a sterile dressing is ordinarily considered to be a routine conclusion to aseptic operations. Routine treatment of sutured clean surgical wounds with dressings is based on tradition and not scientifically supported. This prospective study has been completed on 40 patients. Their ages ranged from 25-46 years with an average of 34 years. The total number of exposed wounds showing colonization was 15 out of 20, only one case needed to be drained compared to 5 out of 20 cases of dressed wounds where also one case needed to be drained. The two cases which showed post-operative infection and needed to be drained were incision hernias, in which the operative time was long and the dissection was extensive. The study showed that routine covering of a primarily sutured clean surgical wound and a sterile dressing is not superior to the technique of keeping these wounds after the first post-operative day in the prevention of wound infection and must be reserved for badly sutured clean or clean contaminated wounds. Keeping the wound undressed has many advantages, the wound can be easily examined, patients are more easily able to carryout their personal hygiene, adhesive tap irritation is avoided and the wound without dressing appeared to heal more rapidly and with less local inflammatory reaction