S
urgical incisions create openings and
opportunities for the trillions of bac-
terial cells that live inside of the
body, so efforts to prevent post-op
infections shouldn't end until wounds
are properly cleaned, closed and covered.
Depending on the type of incision, surgeons can
opt for any of the tried-and-true closing methods
— sutures, staples, skin adhesives, hybrid devices
and Steri-Strips. Regardless of the method they
choose, preventing surgical site infections (SSIs)
must be priority number one.
Important last step
One key to preventing SSIs is a tightly layered
wound closure that doesn't leave open areas below
the skin surface that can turn into abscesses and,
eventually, infections.
Surgeons performing a layered closure deep
inside the body almost always use sutures, accord-
ing to Matthew Regulski, DPM, a foot and ankle sur-
geon and medical director at the Wound Care
Institute of Ocean County in Toms River, N.J. Dr.
Regulski says surgeons often use nonabsorbable
sutures when securing structures that they want to
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T O 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 • M A R C H 2 0 2 1
Renee Cocchi | Contributing Editor
Keys for Infection-Free Wound Care
Preventing SSIs and keeping scarring to a
minimum are important aspects of proper patient care.
SCAR TISSUE Tight wound closure techniques
prevent infection and produce very little scarring,
which is the outcome patients most desire.
