Surgical Wounds and their Correlation to Surgical Technology Essays

Wound management is one of the cornerstones for nursing care however, effective wound care extends far beyond the application of the wound itself. Nurses may be required to assess, plan, implement, and evaluate wound care; therefore, order to fill these roles it’s critical to have an understanding of the several different areas of wound care such as, integumentary system, classification of wounds, wound procedures, and documentation. Knowledge in each of these areas will allow nurses to make well informed decisions about wound care, and as a result play an active part in wound healing.

In recent years, surgical site infections are verified as one of the most errors that are common in the healthcare; however, they are also preventable. These research papers will synthesis information about surgical infections, patient experience, hospital-acquired conditions and achievement of expected treatment for specific clinical diagnoses. A surgical site infection is an infected condition in the body after surgery has occurred. Surgical site infections are caused by germs, called bacteria. Different types of bacteria from the environment may cause a delay in healing. The infection may come from surgical tools or bacteria on the skin if it is not clean correctly. Healthcare professionals use certain guidelines and

The process of wound assessment requires accurate and appropriate interventions while dealing with the patients. There are some major components which the operator must consider to effectively access an infection, and they require a range of skills and knowledge. These factors are the knowledge of relevant anatomy and physiology, the understanding of the various factors that accelerate wound growth, and the ability to listen and understand the patient’s needs. In wound accessing, the doctor should have an idea concerning the number and location of wounds, the required treatments depending on the type of infection, the type of wound in accordance to various grading given, and the procedures to follow to achieve the treatment

On assessment, the wound was slightly exudates, odour, sloughs and dry skin patches on the surroundings. Sprakes (2010) state that, holistic assessment of patient and the wound are essential in order to facilitate the wound healing process. Ousey and McIntosh (2010) points out that, chronic wounds are exacerbated by a sequence of misdiagnosis, neglect, incompetence or inappropriate treatment strategies. I observed that, M’s wound was with exudates and sloughs; this

Researchers will decide to select wound infections that occur after open heart surgery as a topic for their study, because it is significant for staff nurses to know the effect of wound infections that occurs with the adult patients. Researchers will obtain permission from the cardiac surgery center so that they could collect information from adult patients. They will also contact and meet with staff nurses in cardiac surgery center. Nurse educators will provide the form to all staff nurses working in the operating room. The form includes the title of the study, the purpose of the study, place of the work, duration of the study, potential benefits, potential risks, participant signature, and date. The reader can follow that consent

This article is about a Children’s hospital in New Orleans struggling with an outbreak of infected surgical wounds from cardiothoracic operations. There have been at least 12 reports of children contracting a rare surgical site infection from undergoing cardiac surgery. An investigation put on by the hospital discovered the type of bacteria causing this infection is commonly found in dirt, water, and dust. The bacteria, mycobacterium abscessus, has been labeled as a very abnormal source of infection in wounds. The epidemic of infection was said to be caused by a piece of equipment used in the operation room to maintain stable temperature to patients on bypass.

During my clinical simulation laboratory session 6: wound management, we all learnt about surgical wound dressing. However, what I found during the procedure was that maintaining sterile zone during surgical wound dressing is very challenging: there are complex procedure to ensure sterile zone and one simple mistake can result in restarting the whole process. Unfortunately, I made a mistake during the procedure and had to start again; it was very frustrating and time consuming process. However, there must be the reason behind this procedure so I decided to do some research and find out the consequences of poor surgical asepsis for wound management procedure.

Surgery that involves an incision in the skin can lead to a wound infection afterwards. Most surgical wound infections are seen within 30 days after surgery. There may be pus draining from the wound site, can be red, painful or hot to the touch. It may present with a fever and

Caregivers are trained to provide aseptic wound care, patients are closely monitored compared to their own home setting, and physicians are always nearby to reassess wounds as needed. So where do these infections come from? Literature reviews have opened the gateway to further questions and investigations in order to answer this question. Comparing multiple studies listed in table 1, there are still many unanswered questions as to where infections originate. Most studies are looking into various prevention methods and the organisms present postoperatively, but do not address the question of why these infections are occurring. Strengths and weaknesses in all studies show that one needs to evaluate the studies carefully before consideration for implementation as

* Hand washing is the most important method of preventing the spread of infection by contact (Ayliffe et al 1999). The Nottingham University Trust Policy on Hand Hygiene (2009) states that there are three types of hand hygiene, the first is ‘routine hand hygiene’ which involves the use of soap and water for 15 – 20 seconds or the application of alcohol hand rub until the hand are dry. The second is ‘hand disinfection’ which should be used prior to an aseptic procedure by washing with soap and water and applying alcohol hand rub afterwards. The third is ‘surgical hand washing’ which is the application of a microbial agent to the hands and wrists for two minutes. In addition to which a sterile, disposable brush may be used for the first surgical hand wash of the day although continued use will encourage colonisation of microbes. The third example is the most appropriate to any O.D.P undertaking the surgical role as it is the best way for the surgical team to eliminate transient flora and reduce resident skin flora (World Health Organization 2010). The first and second are important to any O.D.P undertaking any other role within the Operating Department as this is the best way to reduce the transient microbial flora without necessarily affecting the resident skin flora

In 1992, CDC revised its definition of ‘wound infection’, by creating the definition, ‘surgical site infection’, to prevent the confusion between the infection of a surgical incision and the infection of a traumatic wound (Horan et al 1992). A precise definition of surgical site infection is vital for personnel measuring infection rates (WHO 2009). The definitions of surgical site infection may vary between research studies but are commonly based on those described by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention although other valid measures have been used (NICE 2008). The CDC definition describes three levels of SSI:

A wound is an injury or the damage of living tissue, and the skin is usually cut or broken, depending on the type of wound. Wounds may be caused from an accidental or intentional incident, an underlying medical condition, surgery, or an infectious disease. Depending on the severity of the wound(s), it will need to be tended to. If the wound is severe enough to require the medical care of professionals, a diagnosis will be made by examining it visually. If fat, muscle, or bone is exposed, or the wound is deeper than one half of an inch, means that the wound is severe enough to require medical attention. After a diagnosis is made, the medical personnel will find out the extent of the wound’s damage and the effects it may have had on the wellness

The authors described ineffective laundering techniques of surgical scrubs and their link to development of surgical site infections. The research hypothesis was which laundering methods of the surgical scrubs are most effective in prevention of potential development of the postoperative surgical

To develop strategies and practice improvements that support positive patient outcomes related to wound management and skin integrity

Surgical site infections (SSIs) are the leading type of infections among hospitalized patients. There are so many reasons why people go for surgery; it can be an emergency reasons or elective. According to Beaver, (2008) a primary concern in healthcare today is the prevention of infections. Careful handling of the surgical equipment reduces the chances of surgical site infections, for instance equipment sterilization and careful hand hygiene of surgical equipment.