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O U T P A T 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 | J U LY 2 0 1 5
It Pays to Irrigate the Abdominal Cavity
It's an often overlooked, highly effective way to prevent infection.
T
here are myriad
important steps
when it comes
to preventing surgical site
infections, but as a gener-
al surgeon, I've identified
a critical step that wasn't
part of my training. With
abdominal surgery, it's
absolutely vital to irrigate
the abdominal cavity,
including and even more
importantly the subcuta-
neous layer, to remove
loose fat and possibly
contaminated peritoneal
fluid.
It's a step we need to
add to all the other well-
known important steps,
such as timely and appro-
priate prophylactic antibi-
otic administration, clip-
ping rather than shaving of hair, core temperature control, timeliness
of the procedure, correct non-tension anastomosis, glucose control
and oxygenation.
I've used this technique in all wound closures of the abdomen for
the past 40 years, essentially handling all wounds in a similar manner,
I N F E C T I O N P R E V E N T I O N
Gary Biesecker, MD, FACS
F.
Douglas
Blazek,
MD,
FACS
z BEFORE CLOSING Use 2 to 5 liters of saline
and vigorously massage the wound margins.
