question: How are you able to keep bandages/dressings on post surgery for an extended amount of time before it can be washed/changed without getting an infection?
comment: Right now that bandage is a shield. It’s acting like your skin in the sense that it’s keeping all the gross things outside. Medical bandages are woven tighter, and have a denser glue that holds it together. This prevents dirt and bacteria from being absorbed. They’ll also usually have a layer of antibiotics underneath, so they’re not accidentally trapping anything when it’s first put on. As soon as they’re wet though, that can introduce bacteria. That’s why it’s important not to wash it. Source- have had multiple surgeries, dad’s a doctor, this is how it was explained to me. Call me out if any of this is wrong.
passages: Infection will complicate healing of surgical wounds and is commonly observed. Most infections are present within the first 30 days after surgery. Surgical wounds can become infected by bacteria, regardless if the bacteria is already present on the patient's skin or if the bacteria is spread to the patient due to contact with infected individuals. Wound infections can be superficial (skin only), deep (muscle and tissue), or spread to the organ or space where the surgery occurred.
  
  Section::::Complications.:Fascia dehiscence.
   After completion of surgery, the patient is transferred to the post anesthesia care unit and closely monitored. When the patient is judged to have recovered from the anesthesia, he/she is either transferred to a surgical ward elsewhere in the hospital or discharged home. During the post-operative period, the patient's general function is assessed, the outcome of the procedure is assessed, and the surgical site is checked for signs of infection. There are several risk factors associated with postoperative complications, such as immune deficiency and obesity. Obesity has long been considered a risk factor for adverse post-surgical outcomes. It has been linked to many disorders such as obesity hypoventilation syndrome, atelectasis and pulmonary embolism, adverse cardiovascular effects, and wound healing complications. If removable skin closures are used, they are removed after 7 to 10 days post-operatively, or after healing of the incision is well under way.
   At a hospital, modern surgery is often performed in an operating theater using surgical instruments, an operating table for the patient, and other equipment. Among United States hospitalizations for nonmaternal and nonneonatal conditions in 2012, more than one-fourth of stays and half of hospital costs involved stays that included operating room (OR) procedures. The environment and procedures used in surgery are governed by the principles of aseptic technique: the strict separation of "sterile" (free of microorganisms) things from "unsterile" or "contaminated" things. All surgical instruments must be sterilized, and an instrument must be replaced or re-sterilized if, it becomes contaminated (i.e. handled in an unsterile manner, or allowed to touch an unsterile surface). Operating room staff must wear sterile attire (scrubs, a scrub cap, a sterile surgical gown, sterile latex or non-latex polymer gloves and a surgical mask), and they must scrub hands and arms with an approved disinfectant agent before each procedure.
   Advancements in understanding of wounds have commanded biomedical innovations in the treatment of acute, chronic, and other types of wounds. Many biologics, skin substitutes, biomembranes and scaffolds have been developed to facilitate wound healing through various mechanisms.
  
  Section::::Usage of dressings.
  
  Applying a dressing is a first aid skill, although many people undertake the practice with no training – especially on minor wounds. Modern dressings will almost all come in a prepackaged sterile wrapping, date coded to ensure sterility. Sterility is necessary to prevent infection from pathogens resident within the dressing.
   Local infection of the operative field is prevented by using sterile technique, and prophylactic antibiotics are often given in abdominal surgery or patients known to have a heart defect or mechanical heart valves that are at risk of developing endocarditis.
  
  Methods to decrease surgical site infections in spine surgery include skin preparation, use of surgical drains, prophylactic antibiotics, and vancomycin. Preventative antibiotics may also be effective.
  
  Whether any specific dressing has an effect on the risk of surgical site infection of a wound that has been sutured closed is unclear.
  
  Section::::Complications following surgery.:Blood clots.
   Local wound infections (superficial or deep-sided), urinary tract infections (caused by a bladder catheter inserted for surgery), and pneumonia (due to impaired breathing/coughing, caused by sedation and analgesics during the first few hours of recovery) may endanger the health of patients after surgery. Visibly worse are postoperative bacterial infections at the site of implanted foreign bodies (sutures, ostheosynthetic material, joint replacements, pacemaker implants, etc.) Often, the outcome of the procedure may be put into question and the life of the patient may even be put at risk.
   The implantation procedure itself is considered minor, and is typically performed with both local anaesthesia and moderate sedation. Patients often have post-procedure discomfort at the insertion site which is most often managed by administration of acetaminophen or a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug such as ibuprofen.
   Sterile technique, aseptic post-operative care, antibiotics, use of the WHO Surgical Safety Checklist, and vigilant post-operative monitoring greatly reduce the risk of these complications. Planned surgery performed under sterile conditions is much less risky than that performed under emergency or unsterile conditions. The contents of the bowel are unsterile, and thus leakage of bowel contents, as from trauma, substantially increases the risk of infection.
   The rates of a surgical wound opening after surgery has remained constant. When a wound opens after surgery, the hospital stay becomes longer and the medical care becomes more intensive if a surgical wound opens after surgery.
  
  Section::::Complications.:Infection.
   In his book "Fifty Years; A Surgeon" he gives a clear and complete description of hospital conditions at that time before the entrance of antisepsis in the world of surgery as a normal and necessary routine.
   Skin damage from incision as well as very young or old age can increase a patient's risk of infection. Examples of risk factors includes decreased immune system secondary to disease, compromised circulation secondary to peripheral vascular disease, compromised skin integrity secondary to surgery, or repeated contact with contagious agents.
  
  Section::::Assessment.
  
  The patient should be asked about a history of repeated infections, symptoms of infection, recent travel to high-risk areas, and their immunization history. They should also be assessed for objective signs such as the presence of wounds, fever, or signs of nutritional deficiency
  
  Section::::Intervention.
   Blood or blood expanders may be administered to compensate for blood lost during surgery. Once the procedure is complete, sutures or staples are used to close the incision. Once the incision is closed, the anesthetic agents are stopped or reversed, and the patient is taken off ventilation and extubated (if general anesthesia was administered).
  
  Section::::Description of surgical procedure.:Post-operative care.
   Due to the screw-shaped design and titanium surface modifications of the implants, mechanical debridement on the surface of the implant is ineffective in removing all adhering microorganisms. Therefore, to enhance the non-surgical treatment options of peri-implantitis, mechanical debridement can be used in combination with antiseptic, antibiotic therapy and/or resective or regenerative surgery. The combination of treatments can vary depending on the severity of the peri-implantitis, and cumulative interceptive support therapy provides guidance in this aspect.
   In the pre-operative holding area, the patient changes out of his or her street clothes and is asked to confirm the details of his or her surgery. A set of vital signs are recorded, a peripheral IV line is placed, and pre-operative medications (antibiotics, sedatives, etc.) are given. When the patient enters the operating room, the skin surface to be operated on, called the operating field, is cleaned and prepared by applying an antiseptic such as chlorhexidine gluconate or povidone-iodine to reduce the possibility of infection. If hair is present at the surgical site, it is clipped off prior to prep application. The patient is assisted by an anesthesiologist or resident to make a specific surgical position, then sterile drapes are used to cover the surgical site or at least a wide area surrounding the operating field; the drapes are clipped to a pair of poles near the head of the bed to form an "ether screen", which separates the anesthetist/anesthesiologist's working area (unsterile) from the surgical site (sterile).
   Complications of postsurgical wounds can be reduced before, during and after surgery. Before surgery, clinicians can treat the patient to reduce hemoglobin A1c levels to less than 7%. Those anticipating surgery can reduce their risk of complications by stopping smoking thirty days prior to surgery. The patient's skin can be evaluated for the presence of Staphylococcus areus prior to surgery since this bacterium causes wound infections in postoperative wounds. Treating any other infections prior to surgery also reduces the risks of a postoperative wound infection. Examples of these pre-existing infections are urinary tract infection or lower reproductive system infection. Removing the hair where the skin will be cut helps to reduce the risk of complications, though shaving is not considered to be appropriate and instead depilatories are used. Those who come in contact with the person who is receiving the surgery clean and disinfect their own skin surfaces. The patient's skin is also cleaned, scrubbed and treated with antiseptics. Patients undergoing surgery often receive antibiotics before surgery.
   Considering the fact that not all patients will be able to undergo definitive reconstruction at first return, there are other options that surgeons can consider. Data would suggest that the longer the abdomen is left open from initial laparotomy the higher the rate of complications. After about one week if the abdomen is not able to be closed surgeons should consider placing a Vicryl mesh to cover the abdominal contents. This will then allow granulation to occur over a few weeks with the subsequent ability to place a split-thickness skin graft (STSG) on top for coverage. These patients will clearly have a hernia that will need to be fixed 9 – 12 months down the line.
   Infection after surgery is relatively uncommon, but occurs as much as 33% in specific types of surgeries. Infections of surgical sites range from 1% to 33%. MRSA sepsis that occurs within 30 days has a 15-38% mortality rate. MRSA sepsis that occurs within one year following a surgical infection has a mortality rate of around 55%. There may be increased mortality associated with cardiac surgery. There is a rate of 12.9% in those infected with MRSA while only a 3% infected with other organisms. SSIs infected with MRSA had longer hospital stays than those who did not.
   An incision is made to access the surgical site. Blood vessels may be clamped or cauterized to prevent bleeding, and retractors may be used to expose the site or keep the incision open. The approach to the surgical site may involve several layers of incision and dissection, as in abdominal surgery, where the incision must traverse skin, subcutaneous tissue, three layers of muscle and then the peritoneum. In certain cases, bone may be cut to further access the interior of the body; for example, cutting the skull for brain surgery or cutting the sternum for thoracic (chest) surgery to open up the rib cage. Whilst in surgery aseptic technique is used to prevent infection or further spreading of the disease. The surgeons' and assistants' hands, wrists and forearms are washed thoroughly for at least 4 minutes to prevent germs getting into the operative field, then sterile gloves are placed onto their hands. An antiseptic solution is applied to the area of the patient's body that will be operated on. Sterile drapes are placed around the operative site. Surgical masks are worn by the surgical team to avoid germs on droplets of liquid from their mouths and noses from contaminating the operative site.
   BULLET::::- Both chlorhexidine and povidone-iodine are acceptable skin cleansers, though chlorhexidine is preferred.
  
  BULLET::::- For short-term CVC sites, dressings must be changed at least every 7 days for transparent dressings, and every 2 days for gauze dressings.
  
  BULLET::::- For long-term implanted or tunneled catheters, dressings are to be changed no more than once weekly unless soiled or loose.
   When the site of an implant becomes infected during or after surgery, the surrounding tissue becomes infected by microorganisms. Three main categories of infection can occur after operation. Superficial immediate infections are caused by organisms that commonly grow near or on skin. The infection usually occurs at the surgical opening. Deep immediate infection, the second type, occurs immediately after surgery at the site of the implant. Skin-dwelling and airborne bacteria cause deep immediate infection. These bacteria enter the body by attaching to the implant's surface prior to implantation. Though not common, deep immediate infections can also occur from dormant bacteria from previous infections of the tissue at the implantation site that have been activated from being disturbed during the surgery. The last type, late infection, occurs months to years after the implantation of the implant. Late infections are caused by dormant blood-borne bacteria attached to the implant prior to implantation. The blood-borne bacteria colonize on the implant and eventually get released from it. Depending on the type of material used to make the implant, it may be infused with antibiotics to lower the risk of infections during surgery. However, only certain types of materials can be infused with antibiotics, the use of antibiotic-infused implants runs the risk of rejection by the patient since the patient may develop a sensitivity to the antibiotic, and the antibiotic may not work on the bacteria.
   This is performed in conjunction with mechanical debridement, with application of chlorhexidine digluconate, a potent antiseptic. To achieve positive treatment results, 3–4 weeks of regular administration of chlorhexidine, either in the form of daily rinse (of 0.1%, 0.12% or 0.2%) or as a gel, is necessary. This is also recommended to maintain satisfactory plaque control. Chlorhexidine is shown to significantly improve the mucosal condition in bleeding on probing, probing pocket depth, and clinical attachment level.
  
  Section::::Treatment.:Antibiotic treatment.
   The patient is discharged from hospital either the same day or the day after the breast reduction operation. Because the liposuction-only procedure featured only a few, small, surgical incisions, the woman quickly recovers her health, usually resuming daily life activities at 14 to 28 days post-operative — when the breast-molding dressings are changed; she also resumes her personal hygiene regimen to include washing under a water shower. In the initial convalescence period, the surgical-incision wounds are inspected at 1-week post-operative, during which time the woman has continuously worn a strapless brassière to contain and immobilize her corrected breasts; afterwards, she continuously wears a strapped brassière for 30 days after the breast-reduction operation.
   There are four commonly used types of urethroplasty performed; anastomotic, buccal mucosal onlay graft, scrotal or penile island flap (graft), and Johansen's urethroplasty.
  
  With an average operating room time of between three and eight hours, urethroplasty is not considered a minor operation. Patients who undergo a shorter duration procedure may have the convenience of returning home that same day (between 20% and 30% in total of urethroplasty patients). Hospital stays of two or three days duration are the average. More complex procedures may require a hospitalization of seven to ten days.
  
  Section::::Phases of the operation.
   Although antibiotics are generally given before and after surgery, people are still susceptible to wound infections and there is a 7.8% incidence of popliteal bypass surgery associated infections. Infection contraction is common in popliteal bypass surgery because of the poor blood circulation to the area, poor circulation means that the wounds will heal slower and the incision sites will have a higher chance of becoming infected. 
   At Bristol University Hospital, MPPT was evaluated for use on wounds. The study included nine dehisced surgical wounds and one category 4 pressure ulcer. Standard-of-care for these types of wounds are one week with UrgoClean followed by 2 or more weeks with Negative Pressure Wound Therapy (NPWT). Wounds receiving MPPT were able to achieve the same stage of wound healing in 4-5 days as would have required 3 or more weeks with standard-of-care, thus offering savings of 67%. All wounds receiving MPPT closed.
  
presuppositions: Dirt and bacteria is trapped under a medical bandage. 
corrections: Medical bandages post surgery act as a shield to keep dirt and bacteria on the outside of the bandage.  
raw_presuppositions: Dirt and bacteria is trapped under a medical bandage.  Bandages and dressings post surgery should be washed and cleaned as often as regular bandages.
raw_corrections: Medical bandages post surgery act as a shield to keep dirt and bacteria on the outside of the bandage.   Medical bandages post surgery are woven tighter with a denser glue than normal bandages, so they are more effective at keeping dirt and bacteria outside.