Surgical Wound Classification Flashcards

Surgical Wound Classification Overview

• Wounds classified into four distinct classes based on contamination levels and surgical techniques.

Class I: Clean

• Defined as clean wounds with no breaks in sterile technique.
• Characteristics include absence of inflammation and no entry into hollow viscera.
• Examples of Class I clean procedures:
  • Thyroidectomy
  • Mastectomy
  • Ganglion Cyst removal
  • Total Knee arthroplasty
  • Total Hip arthroplasty
  • Herniorrhaphy
  • Exploratory laparoscopy (without bowel involvement)
  • Laminectomy
  • Laparoscopic Gastric Banding

Class II: Clean Contaminated

• No inflammation or breaks in sterile technique; involves entry into hollow viscera.
• Examples include:
  • Cholecystectomy
  • Hysterectomy
  • Colon resection
  • Tracheostomy
  • Normal Appendectomy
  • Laparoscopic Gastric Bypass (considered clean contaminated)

Class III: Contaminated

• Involves traumatic wounds with spillage of infected material.
• Criteria include fresh trauma wounds less than 4 hours old and major sterile technique breaches.
• Associated with entry into infected genitourinary or biliary tracts.
• Examples:
  • Inflamed but unruptured appendix
  • Inflamed but unruptured gallbladder
  • Acute inflammation of gallbladder
  • Presence of foreign body passing through a wound

Class IV: Dirty or Infected

• Characterized by trauma from contaminated sources and spillage of infected material.
• Includes old traumatic wounds greater than 4 hours and existing clinical infections.
• Examples include:
  • Drainage of intra-abdominal abscess
  • Ruptured appendix
  • Perforated diverticulitis
  • Necrotizing soft tissue infection
  • Wound debridement
  • Foreign body embedded in tissue

Key Characteristics

• Class I indicates optimal surgical conditions with minimal risk of infection.
• Class II signifies a higher risk as hollow viscera is involved but remains controlled.
• Class III reflects a significant risk of contamination requiring careful management.
• Class IV indicates severe infection and requires aggressive treatment for recovery.

Test your knowledge on the classification of surgical wounds with these flashcards. Learn the definitions and characteristics of each class from clean to dirty wounds. A great tool for medical students and professionals in the healthcare field.