How to help prevent surgery infections. Having surgery soon and don’t know what to expect? Each and every surgery is different. Each person’s body may recover/heal differently. Each person may also experience different effects post-surgery.
A common thing that could happen after a surgery is a post-surgery infection. One of the most commonly occurring infections are surgical site infections. “A surgical site infection means any infection that occurs when bacteria enter a patient’s body through an incision made during an operation.”
The World Health Organization, WHO, has listed several recommendations for patients prior to surgery. These recommendations should help to minimize the risk of exposure to infection.
Patients should have a shower or bath before surgery. A shower cleanses the skin and helps to remove bacteria that is already on the skin.
Prior to surgery, patients should avoid shaving. Each time a person shaves they could create microscopic cuts and nicks in the skin. Open wounds, however small, could be exposed to bacteria that is already in the hospital.
To minimize exposure to superbugs, WHO recommends starting a course of antibiotics before and during surgery. Superbugs are infections that are typically resistant to common antibiotics. The reasoning behind an antibiotic regimen is by having a high concentration of antibiotics in the blood, the odds of the bug or infection entering and remaining in the bloodstream is diminished.
Millions of surgeries are performed annually. Hundreds of thousands surgical site infections also occur. The sad truth is many of these infections are preventable. Post-surgery patients with an infection are at an increased risk of dying as a result.
To read more on this important issue, please follow the link HERE. As always, remember to speak with your medical professional about any concerns regarding your treatment. Articles like these are never intended to be a substitute for medical advice from your own doctor.
