Saline irrigation and wound infection in abdominal gynecologic surgery

Objective: To evaluate whether saline wound irrigation decreases the incidence of wound infection following abdominal gynecologic surgery. Method: In this prospective randomized study, 104 patients underwent wound irrigation before wound closure following abdominal gynecologic surgery and 102 patients did not. Results: There were no significant differences between the 2 groups in patient characteristics or in factors influencing the incidence of wound infection after abdominal gynecologic surgery. The incidence of wound infection was 10.6% among women who underwent wound irrigation and 9.8% among those who did not, and the difference was not statistically significant. Conclusion: Saline wound irrigation before abdominal wall closure is not helpful in decreasing the incidence of wound infection after abdominal gynecologic surgery.