Surgical Wounds

By Kathy Gallagher, DNP, APRN-FNP, CMC, UMC, BC, WCC, CWS, FACCWS

Welcome to the first in a series of blogs focusing on acute surgical wound management. Future segments will discuss steps toward developing an acute surgical wound service (ASWS) and tips reflective of successful healing strategies.

by Hy-Tape International

Infections are common and serious complications associated with post-surgical wounds. In wounds resulting from clean surgery, 8% become infected among the general population and 25% among those over 60 years of age. Preventing these infections can help reduce costs, improve patient outcomes, and save lives. It is critical that health care professionals understand the risk of cross-contamination and take steps to prevent it.

by the WoundSource Editors

Acute Wound: A wound that is following a predicted pattern of healing that should result in complete functional closure.

Chronic Wound: A wound that has failed to re-epithelialize after three months, usually because of failure to progress past the inflammatory phase of wound healing.

by the WoundSource Editors

Surgical site infections (SSIs) account for 20% of total documented infections each year and cost approximately $34,000 per episode. SSIs are responsible for increased readmission rates, length of stay, reoperation, morbidity, and mortality, as well as increased overall health care costs.^1,2

by the WoundSource Editors

Surgical site infections (SSIs) are the most prevalent surgical wound complications, comprising approximately 15% of all health care–associated infections, with more than 500,000 reported yearly.¹ Preventing SSIs is perhaps the best way to prevent further surgical wound complications.

by the WoundSource Editors

Appropriate surgical wound and incision management in the post-operative time period is imperative to prevent complications, including surgical site infection and wound dehiscence. The tenets of modern wound management are applicable to primarily closed incisions, as well as to subacute and chronic wounds.

by the WoundSource Editors

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimate approximately 30 million surgical procedures are performed annually in the United States.¹ Advances in technology have afforded patients options such as minimally invasive surgery, commonly known as laparoscopic or arthroscopic surgery, which tend to result in much smaller (1cm–2cm) incisions.

by the WoundSource Editors

Of the millions of surgical procedures performed annually, most surgical site wounds heal without complications. Surgical site infections (SSIs) are common complications that may occur after surgery, and that may delay healing, therefore increasing the cost of care.¹

By Janet Wolfson PT, CLWT, CWS, CLT-LANA

The Inpatient Rehab Facility where I currently work as the Wound Coordinator is a discharge site for a major medical center with an excellent Head and Neck Cancer program, as well as a Trauma Center. This has resulted in a handful (or more) of patients with complex facial and neck reconstruction each year. These people present special needs beyond just healing incisions.

Wound dehiscence is a distressing but common occurrence among patients who have received sutures. The condition involves the wound opening up either partially or completely along the sutures – basically, the wound reopens to create a new wound.