"Open" wound before surgery

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cjsmom02

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Ok, had pre-op call with the RN Wed. last week and she asked if I had any open wounds. At the time I said no. BUT....today while slicing onions I sliced my finger open. :boohoo:

After finally getting the bleeding to slow down enough I had hubby but a nice snug bandage with gauze and tegaderm. I have no idea how deep the cut is, but it is at least 1 inch in length. I'm afraid to take the bandage off because it might start bleeding again. I didn't even get a chance to wash it, but I know if a wound bleeds enough it washes away the germs. Trust me, this sucker bled enough to wash away any germs that might have even been thinking about getting in there.

I plan to talk with my PCP tomorrow (since I work in the same office as he does), but my question is this...do I need to notify the hospital and/or surgeon? I am sure my PCP will give me some antibiotic profilactically (sp?), just not sure about notifying the surgeon/hospital.
 
I would, mainly because I'd want to know if it were an issue sooner rather than later. I'd hate to get a surprise on surgery day.
 
I would contact Asa courtesy, but I bet they won't worry to much about it. Have the PCP look at it tomorrow to ease your mind and he might decide some preventitave antibotics would not be a bad idea. After all, people take antibotics before they have their teeth cleaned after knee replacements, so he might decide to err on the side of caution.
 
I agree that it's probably not going to be an issue. But the best thing to do would be to run it by your surgeon as soon as you can give them a call. You'll rest easier knowing everything is still on track.
 
:scratch: Where on earth did you get the idea that bleeding washes away germs? That's just nonsense! If anything, it provides a nice little pool of organic fluids to encourage the bugs to thrive!

But seriously, the others are right. Such wounds may look huge to you as does the amount of blood loss but in actual fact, it will be pretty minor. And if you took the dressing off now, though it might ooze a bit, it would be short lived. And being a clean straight cut, it will heal quite quickly too. When the nurse asked if you had any 'open wounds' she was more referring to things that had been around for a week or more and weren't healing well.
 
Sweetie, it won't be a problem. Listen to Josephine. She knows her stuff! You will be just fine.
 
Jo, I have always heard that when wounds bleed, they "cleanse" themselves. We are told that is especially true with puncture wounds.....you should force them to bleed a bit to clean things out. Don't tell me this has all been an Old Wives' Tale!!!! Josephine
 
Jamie, I had always heard the same thing! As long as it bled it got the bad stuff out! Now, at the age of 47 to hear I might be WRONG? :heehee: Seems almost impossible to believe! :rotfl:
 
It might wash out a bit, even a little muck or grit and even some venom if you've been bitten by a snake, but 'cleansing' it? I don't think so!
 
Just out of curiosity, I Googled this and the only comment I found was this one:

10 tips on how to treat a puncture wound
"Permit the wound to bleed for a few minutes, this will flush the wound of any (foreign) bodies"

Nothing about this meaning
"but I know if a wound bleeds enough it washes away the germs"
 
When the nurse asked if you had any 'open wounds' she was more referring to things that had been around for a week or more and weren't healing well.

Precisely. Also, wounds near the surgical site or lower on the leg are important as well.

Orthodoc
 
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