England (Commonwealth Union) – Pulmonary embolism, reaction to anesthesia, wound infections, among others, are some of the most common post-surgical complications. However, when it comes to wound infections, researchers may have found a simple solution. The new study is set to provide safer surgery for thousands of patients across the globe, particularly in Low- and Middle-income Countries (LMIC).
The study demonstrated that routinely replacing gloves and instruments prior to closing wounds could effectively bring down Surgical Site Infection (SSI), the most frequent postoperative complication across the globe. Moreover, a new toolkit was evaluated that can make hospitals have improved preparation for pandemics, heatwaves, winter pressures and natural disasters that may lower cancellations of planned procedures worldwide.
Patients in LMICs are unnecessarily, impacted by wound infections, but following a trial of the procedure in Benin, Ghana, India, Mexico, Nigeria, Rwanda and South Africa, the study demonstrated that a routine replacement of gloves and instruments during abdominal wound closures could avoid as many as one in eight incidents of SSI.
“Surgical site infection is the world’s most common postoperative complication – a major burden for both patients and health systems.Our work demonstrates that routine change of gloves and instruments is not only deliverable around the world, but also reduced infections in a range of surgical settings,” said Co-author Mr. Aneel Bhangu, from the University of Birmingham, further stating that this simple step can bring down SSIs by 13% – simply and economically.
Patients developing SSI usually report pain, disability, poor healing with risk of wound breakdown, delayed recovery times and psychological issues. In places which have health systems where it’s the patient’s responsibility to fund the treatment, this can lead to a severe burden raising the possibility of patients being left in poverty following their treatment. The simple and economical practice of replacing gloves and instruments prior to closing the wound is something that can be applied by surgeons in any hospital around, possibly preventing a huge problem.
