| Theme | New Skin Care of Exit Site in CAPD | |
|---|---|---|
| Title | Wound care and skin care at CAPD exit-site | |
| Publish Date | 1997/05 | |
| Author | Kunio Tsukada | Department of Surgery, Yokota Hospital |
| [ Summary ] | Because of the development of sterilization techniques and antibiotics, surgical procedures, such as leaving a therapeutic foreign utensil within the body, have become safe. However, self defense mechanisms are still of great importance for these procedures. Inflammatory cells, for example polymorphonuclear leukocytes and macrophages, clean the wound bed and play major roles throughout the wound healing process. Antimicrobials damage these inflammatory cells and wound surface cells. Irrigation of the wound without a disinfectant and maintaining the wound in a moist environment are essential for wound healing. On the contrary, the skin surface, covered by a keratin layer, is highly resistant to antimicrobials, but very susceptible to a wet environment. CAPD exit-site care includes both wound care and skin care. Postoperative wounds around a CAPD tube require saline irrigation and covering the wounds with polyurethane film dressing. If infection is suspected at the CAPD exit-site, a low concentration antimicrobial ointment is applied to the wound which is then covered with polyurethane film dressing. This assures that the ointment will remain on the wound surface as long as possible while keeping the surrounding skin dry. |
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