title: Wound sterilisation: cautery vs CO2 laser.
abstract: Al-Qattan et al. (1989) demonstrated that for difficult infected surgical wounds the CO2 laser was a much more effective sterilising agent than a standard surgical scrub (P < 0.005). This study compares the effectiveness of a standard electrocautery unit against that of the CO2 laser for wound sterilisation. Cautery sterilisation of infected wounds was found to be significantly superior to that of the CO2 laser (P < 0.05). Infection was noted in 4% of the cautery sterilised wounds and 12% of the wounds treated with CO2 laser. Case reports are also presented to demonstrate the clinical applications and effectiveness of this technique.
authors.affiliation: Section of Plastic Surgery, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada.
authors.forename: M F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Stranc
authors.forename: F W
authors.initials: FW
authors.lastname: Yang
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000672:Amputation Stumps; D000818:Animals; D004564:Electrocoagulation; D005834:Genital Neoplasms, Male / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D053685:Laser Therapy; D008297:Male; D010412:Penile Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery; D003668:Pressure Ulcer / Q000150:complications; D011550:Pseudomonas aeruginosa / Q000302:isolation & purification; D011817:Rabbits; D012086:Reoperation; D012611:Scrotum / Q000601:surgery; D013530:Surgical Wound Infection / Q000382:microbiology / Q000601:surgery*; D014456:Ulcer / Q000150:complications