title: Dressing wear time after reduction mammaplasty:  a randomized controlled trial.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This randomized controlled trial was designed to assess whether dressing wear time could influence surgical-site infection rates and skin colonization. Patients' perception at self-assessment was also analyzed.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seventy patients undergoing reduction mammaplasty were randomly allocated to group I (dressing removed on postoperative day 1) or group II (dressing removed on postoperative day 6). Surgical-site infections were defined by standard criteria from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Skin colonization was assessed by a culture of samples collected at predefined time points. Patients scored dressing wear time in regard to safety, comfort, and convenience.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Nine patients (12.9 percent) had an infection, seven from group I and two from group II (p = 0.09). There was no difference between the groups in regard to skin colonization before dressing, but on postoperative day 6, there was higher skin colonization by coagulase-negative staphylococci in group I (p = 0.000). If they had the choice, 66 percent of the patients in group I would choose to keep the dressing for 1 day, whereas 83 percent of the patients in group II would prefer to keep the dressing for 6 days (p = 0.000). Patients in group II also considered keeping the dressing for 6 days a safer choice (p < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There was no difference in surgical-site infection rates between groups, but higher colonization levels were observed in group I on postoperative day 6. Most of the patients would choose to keep dressing for 6 days postoperatively, which was perceived as a safer choice.
  
  
  METHODS
  Therapeutic, II.
authors.affiliation: São Paulo and Pouso Alegre, Brazil From the Division of Plastic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, and the Division of Plastic Surgery, Department of Surgery, Department of Microbiology, School of Medicine, and Department of Biostatistics, Universidade do Vale do Sapucaí.
authors.forename: Joel
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Veiga-Filho
authors.forename: Daniela F
authors.initials: DF
authors.lastname: Veiga
authors.forename: Miguel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sabino-Neto
authors.forename: Carlos A V
authors.initials: CAV
authors.lastname: Damasceno
authors.forename: Edilaine M L
authors.initials: EML
authors.lastname: Sales
authors.forename: Edgard S
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Garcia
authors.forename: Israel B
authors.initials: IB
authors.lastname: Oliveira
authors.forename: Leandro F
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: De Simoni
authors.forename: Yara
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Juliano
authors.forename: Lydia M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Ferreira
mesh_terms: D001458:Bandages; D015992:Body Mass Index; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D016462:Mammaplasty; D011184:Postoperative Period; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012867:Skin / Q000382:microbiology; D013530:Surgical Wound Infection / Q000517:prevention & control*; D013997:Time Factors