Is it necessary to dress the surgical incision? a prospective analysis of 118 cases - abstract

ABSTRACT

Applications of a surgical dressing to the surgical incision is perhaps the most consistent ritual practised throughout the history of surgery. While trials have been done to find the most suitable dressing, there appears to be little work investigating the need for any dressing whatsoever. This prospective study examines the feasibility of leaving the surgical wound exposed. This resulted in 12 cases of wound infection. In 5 of these cases, the entire incision was infected, while in 4 cases infection occurred in the dressed portion, and in 3 cases the exposed area became infected. The remaining 106 patients showed no major complication although 6 of them had allergic reactions to the adhesive tape. The dressing surgical wound appears to offer no particular advantage. The benefits of wound exposure include cost containment, early recognition of wound infection, absence of allergic reactions to adhesive tape and elimination of the discomfort of dressing removal, especially in hair-bearing areas (AU)