A One Year Randomized Control Trial to Compare the Effect of Early Versus Late Post-Operative Showering On Laparoscopic Port Site Wound Infection Rates at KLES Dr. Prabhakar Kore Hospital and Medical Research Centre, Belagavi.

Abstract

Background and Objectives The question of whether patients should be permitted to shower or bathe in the early post-operative period appears to have only recently been addressed in surgical literature. Opinion amongst surgeons varies, with the majority favouring delay of showering until suture removal because of the possibility of increased risk of infection. Nonetheless, some studies have shown that early postoperative showering or bathing is safe and post-operative dressings are not necessary for wound care. There is currently no guidance regarding when a wound can be made wet by post-operative bathing or showering. The objective of the present study was to compare the effect of early versus late post-operative showering on laparoscopic port site wound infection rates. Methodology The present one year hospital based randomized controlled trial was done in the Department of General Surgery, KLES Dr. Prabhakar Kore Hospital and Medical Research Centre, Belagavi from January 2017 to December 2017. A total of 80 patients undergoing elective laparoscopic surgery were studied. These patients were randomly allocated into two groups based on simple randomization that is Group A (Shower Group – Patients are instructed to shower starting 48 hours after surgery) and Group B (Non-shower Group – Patients are prohibited from showering till after stitch removal). Results The study population comprised in Group A and Group B was comparable in terms of demographic and clinical characteristics, ruling out the possibility of bias in the study results. Patients having a variety of diagnosis such as acute appendicitis, cholelithiasis, acute calculous cholecystitis, chronic appendicitis, ovarian cyst and gall bladder polyp were included in the study. The wound infection rate was 5% in the shower group (2 out of 40 patients) and 7.5% (3 out of 40 patients) in the nonshower group. The p value was 0.6442, which indicated that the incidence of surgical site infection between the two groups was not statistically significant. Conclusion and Interpretation Our study showed that laparoscopic port site wounds may be safely showered and left uncovered 48 hours after surgery. Postoperative showering did not increase the risk of surgical site complications. It may increase patients’ satisfaction and lower the cost of wound care.