Surgical Wound Management

White Paper

Surgical Site Infections: Risk Assessments and Interventions

Approximately 27 million surgical procedures are performed yearly in the United States and of those, approximately 5 out of every 100 surgical procedures, or 157,000, are associated with surgical site infections (SSIs). It is estimated that over half of all SSIs are preventable. Pre- and post-operation measures can be taken to avoid and manage complications like SSIs to ensure better outcomes for patients. This white paper reviews the following:

What surgical site infections (SSIs) are
The risk factors for SSIs
How to manage those risk factors
How to identify SSIs
Post-operative wound healing optimization
Staffing considerations for SSI prevention

Fact Sheet

Quick Facts - Surgical Wound Management

What are surgical wounds? Surgical wounds encompass several complications, such as surgical site infections (SSIs), wound dehiscence, fistulas, seromas, and hematomas. These wounds make procedures that are already physically and mentally taxing more stressful, further complicating patient outcomes. For this reason, wound care professionals should familiarize themselves with the basics of surgical wound management.

Featured Articles

Surgical Wounds: Classifications

Surgical wounds are created during medical procedures and include incisions made with a scalpel, punctures for a laparoscope or arthroscope, or excisional wounds fashioned for a biopsy. There are 4 classifications of surgical wounds, often determined as part of, and included in, a preprocedural proc...

Bioburden Reduction in Surgical Wounds

In the United States alone, there are between 160,000 and 300,000 surgical site infections (SSIs) each year, representing $3.5 to $10 billion in annual health care costs....

Evaluation of Surgical Wounds

Successful care of surgical wounds begins with a comprehensive assessment of both the wound and the patient, including a clear understanding of the type and class of surgical wound. Psychosocial factors affecting healing and well-being, are essential to consider as well....

Surgical Wounds: Understanding Complications

The most common and costly surgical wound complication is surgical site infection (SSI), which has been reported to increase hospital length of stay by approximately 9 days and raise the cost of hospital admissions by more than $20,000. Wound dehiscence, seromas, and hematomas, as well as cellulitis...

How Much Do You Know About Surgical Wound Management?

Important Terms to Know

Important Terms to Know: Surgical Wound Management

Aseptic: A property that aims to eliminate the risk of transmission of all harmful microorganisms, such as in aseptic surgical procedures. Aseptic practices can prevent the cross-contamination of pathogens.
Bioburden: Normally defined as the number of bacteria living on a surface that has not been sterilized. The term is most often used in the context of bioburden testing, also known as microbial limit testing, which is a quality control test performed on medical devices and pharmaceutical products.
Cross-contamination: The process of inadvertently transferring microorganisms, such as bacteria, fungi, viruses, and parasites, from one patient to another. Cross-contamination of post-operative wounds is a high risk for surgical patients.