7 2 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E • O C T O B E R 2 0 1 8
Y
ou'd never
forget to
administer
timely and
appropriate
prophylactic antibiotics.
After all, that step is an
absolutely invaluable way
to prevent surgical site
infections. For whatever
reason, however, wound
irrigation is rarely thought
of with the same impor-
tance (see "Our Bundled
Closing Protocol for Colon
Resections" on page 48).
But it certainly should. You
should view the often-over-
looked step of irrigation as
the final piece of the
patient care puzzle. To
help make it part of your protocol, here are 4 simple steps you can
use to effectively irrigate wounds in 5 minutes or less. You can use
this simple but effective irrigation technique for everything from
breast mastectomies to hernia repairs to open abdominal procedures
to colon resections:
Wound Irrigation in 4 Easy Steps
This 5-minute technique can help prevent a surgical site infection.
Gary Biesecker, MD, FAC | High Point, N.C.
• ONE-TWO PUNCH Vigorously massaging wound margins while you irri-
gate with voluminous amounts of saline ensures no loose fat tissue is left-
over.
