Using an Antimicrobial Absorbent Post Op Dressing to Decrease Post Op Surgical Incision Infections

Infection is the most common complication of surgical procedures. Of the 300,000 patients whose incisions become infected each year in the United States, about 10,000 will die. Surgical wound infections are one of the most common types of hospital-acquired infections. The CDC has shown that about 36% of these infections are preventable.

     Following surgery, the surgical wound can become infected from contaminated dressings or from the hands of health-care workers who change the dressing. Incisions should be kept clean and dry for several days after surgery until the surgeon removes the sutures or staples, usually about seven to 10 days after surgery. Patients usually have to take sponge baths until then.

     The goal in our institution was to provide an optimal healing environment for incision lines. We decided to trial a dressing to place over the incision in the OR after closure that would accommodate the absorption of the drainage, provide an antimicrobial environment, have a skin-friendly adherent border, prevent the need for contact by health-care workers for dressing changes and allow earlier showering for better overall hygiene.

The surgical post op dressing we chose had hydrocolloid technology for the adherent border, hydrofiber technology with antimicrobial properties and a polyurethane film to provide a waterproof environment.

     Our immediate findings were surgeon and patient satisfaction with the ease of application and the comfort of the dressing. The dressings remained in place throughout the hospital stay unless excess drainage required a dressing change. Patients were able to shower. The dressing did not interfere with rehabilitation and allowed ease in range of motion with the flexibility of the dressing. It was determined that this dressing would need further evaluation to show decrease in surgical wound infections to outweigh the cost of a silver hydrofiber cover dressing verses traditional gauze dressings