Abstract
Results are presented of a prospective audit of wound infection rates in patients undergoing surgery for hand injuries in a designated hand trauma day surgery unit. Hand trauma patients with suitable injuries referred from peripheral accident and emergency departments to the Hand Surgery Unit at Queen Victoria Hospital undergo surgery after a variable delay. Initial wound toilet is undertaken at referral and all patients are prescribed oral antibiotics while waiting up to five days for theatre.
Time to operation and results of microbiological wound swabs in theatre were correlated with post operative wound infection rates in fifty patients.
Initial analysis suggests little difference in subsequent wound infection rates between patients operated on within 48 hours and those delayed three to five days.
These abstracts were prepared by Squadron Leader G. Pathak FRCS (Trauma & Orth). Correspondence should be addressed to him at Royal Hospital Haslar, Gosport, Hampshire PO12 2AA.
