[Postoperative wound healing in wound-water contact].
The avoiding of water-contact to the freshly closed operation-wound is an unwritten law in surgery. In general, taking a bath or shower is not allowed before wound stitch removal under the idea that early water-contact may lead to a higher wound-infection rate. In a prospective trial 170 patients, operated in our short-stay surgery-unit, were allowed to take a shower 24 hours after surgery. Full water contact of the fresh uncovered wound was accepted. The wound-infection rate in this group was compared with the infection-rate of an historical group from our department (n = 956).


RESULTS
In the water-contact group no case of wound-infection was observed while we were observing a wound-infection-rate of 0.6% in the other group. The difference between the two groups wasn't statistically significant (p = 0.125).


CONCLUSIONS
Water-contact of the fresh operation wound 24 hours after surgery did not increase the post-operative wound infection risk in this study.
Köninger
J
J
Abteilung für Allgemein- und Viszeralchirurgie, Krankenhaus Bietigheim.
Russ
M
M
Schmidt
R
R
Feilhauer
K
K
Butters
M
M
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001494:Baths; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D013530:Surgical Wound Infection / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000502:physiology*