How Long Should We Keep Children’s Surgical Sites Dry? The Incidence of Infection and Dehiscence After Pediatric Office Procedures

Abstract

Objective:

Studies evaluating the relationship between bathing and adverse surgical site events are sparse. In this study, we examine the incidence of surgical site infection (SSI) and dehiscence in a cohort of pediatric patients who were allowed to bathe 24 hours after their office procedures.

Methods:

Pediatric patients who underwent office procedures by a single plastic surgeon from 2017 to 2021 were included. All patients were allowed to bathe 24 hours after their office-based skin procedure. Age, sex, procedure type, pre procedure diagnosis, relevant past medical history, instances of dehiscence, and SSI were recorded.

Results:

738 pediatric patients were included. Median age was 3.3 years(range 2 months-7 years), 46% were male and 54% were female. The most common pre procedure diagnoses were branchial vestige (24%), melanocytic nevi (21%), polydactyly (15%), congenital non-neoplastic nevus (11%), cyst (9%), hypertrophic scar (8%), and hemangioma(5%). No patients received systemic antibiotics post-procedurally. Six instances of dehiscence were recorded, and no SSIs were seen in any of the 738 patients.

Conclusions:

The low dehiscence rate and lack of SSIs in our cohort supports the hypothesis that children can bathe normally 24 hours after office procedures without adverse consequences. This recommendation can reduce the burden of post procedure wound care by reducing the length of time patients have to modify their bathing routines.