Management of Surgical Wounds
OCTOBER IS MANAGEMENT OF SURGICAL WOUNDS MONTH For this month's WoundSource Practice Accelerator series, we are providing education on a variety of topics related to surgical wound management. Scroll below to read this month's white paper and articles, to print out our quick fact sheet, and to sign up for this month's webinar.
Upcoming Webinar
Surgical Site Infections: Preventing and Managing Complications
Friday, October 29Subhas Gupta, MD, CM, PhD, FRCSC, FACS
Though surgical procedures are designed to help our patients, surgery is a traumatic experience for the human body, and steps should be taken to ensure that the patient is both properly prepared for the procedure and for healing. The risk of complications such as hematoma, seroma, dehiscence, and surgical site infections may be reduced by preoperative optimization. In cases where complications occur, it is vital that clinicians are well-versed in treatment methods, including standard of care interventions, infection control, and advanced treatment methods. Participants in this webinar will:
- Become familiar with surgical wound complications
- Be able to describe preoperative steps to reduce complications
- Be aware of monitoring, diagnosis, and interventions for common surgical site complications
White Paper
Surgical Site Management: Improving Outcomes
Hospital stays are becoming shorter and shorter, but patient acuity levels are higher and higher. Combine that with existing nursing shortages, and it is easy to understand the increased risks of surgical site complications. This white paper first describes how surgical advances and best practice wound care have lowered the rates of surgical site complications, including surgical site infections (SSIs). The guide then discusses SSI risk factors, classifications, and impact on patients and the...Fact Sheet
Quick Facts - Surgical Wounds
Surgical site infections (SSIs) are common hospital-acquired infections, and they have an estimated annual cost of up to $10 billion in the United States. Patients with SSIs are twice as likely to die, have a 60% greater rate of intensive care unit stays, and have a five times higher chance of post-discharge hospital readmission. Given the high incidence of SSIs, their serious consequences, and the ever-present risk of antimicrobial resistance, post-operative care often includes the use of advan...Featured Articles
Wound Care Options for Surgical Site Management
Surgical site care is vital in preventing complications such as infection and dehiscence. Advanced therapies can help in the prevention of infection and the management of surgical sites and wounds. In patients who are deemed at risk, consider beginning the use of advanced technologies earlier in tre...
Read MoreUsing Advanced Technologies to Prevent Surgical Site Infections
It was reported in 2014 that approximately 14 million operations were performed in the United States. The health care–associated infection prevalence survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found an estimated 110,800 surgical site infections (SSIs) associated with inpatien...
Read MoreSurgical Site Infection: What Causes the Infection?
Although advances in surgical techniques and operating room technologies have made many surgical procedures more successful and have led to easier recovery for many patients, surgical site infections (SSIs) remain a clinical problem. These infections are associated with increased morbidity, mortalit...
Read MoreSurgical Wound Complications
Despite modern precautions and protocols in place, surgical site infection (SSI) continues to be a risk. SSIs are the most common and costly of all hospital-acquired infections, with an estimated annual cost of $3.5 to $10 billion in the United States. Johns Hopkins Medicine reports that up to 3% of...
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Important Terms to Know
