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I N F E C T I O N
P R E V E N T I O N
Preventing Infection After
Hernia Surgery
CAUSE FOR CONCERN Hernia repair, one of the most common
surgical procedures, carries a serious risk: mesh-related infection.
Today's hernia meshes have a lower risk of
infection than their heavyweight predecessors.
Dan O'Connor | Editor-in-Chief
cott A. Cassidy, MD, FACS, has seen 2 hernia mesh infections in the 14 years he's been in practice. Neither was his
fault. The first patient contracted a Salmonella infection at a
restaurant a month after surgery. The second presented for
surgery with an undiagnosed MRSA infection. Besides
explanting those 2 pieces of infected mesh, Dr. Cassidy's hernia infection record is unblemished, no small feat when you consider that he
performs several hundred laparoscopic hernia repairs per year. His
secret? The surgeon from Coosa Valley Medical Center in Sylacauga,
Ala., follows a detailed infection prevention protocol with all his hernia
repair patients.
• Hibiclens bathing. He asks patients to bathe with Hibiclens antimicro-
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O U T PAT I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E O N L I N E | D E C E M B E R 2013
