Sqad

[jennyjoan]

Hi Sqad - have just heard tonight and it would be the 4th or 5th time in a year that i know somebody who have had stitches etc have become infected and being infected being giving antibiotics which also kept them in hospital etc.

Is getting stitches nowadays due to poor medical hygiene or luck of the draw. thanks for any answers.

[jno]

until you get a proper answer from Sqad - are you sure it's the stitches infected rather than the original wound?

[jennyjoan]

as far as I would be aware Jno - it would be stitches ie one case of removal of breast, and today just heard that stitches in a case of a thigh being stitched up.

[Sqad]

The reason for this is mainly 3 fold:

1) Poor haemostasis ( stopping bleeding) during the operation, as blood and bruising attracts the germs and
2)Poor sterile, no touch technique.....dirty surgical procedures.
3) Sheer bad luck.

[theprof]

Put it down to bad luck jennyjoan. I have no doubt that you know five patients who have had infected stitches in one year but the reality is that you're unlikely to know the number of patients over the same year that have had no infection.

These things happen. Please don't attribute it to poor medical hygine or the luck of the draw. In fact, confining the blame to one or other
is wrong in itself. Do you really think that these are the only reasons for wound infection following stitching?

[NoMercy]

A healing wound can be very itchy and some people cannot keep their hands off their itching wounds.

Unfortunately most people don't wash their hands adequately when they should.

[jennyjoan]

thanks for your answers.