Index
It refers to the hair removal performed before any surgery on parts of the body covered with hair.
Trichotomy refers to the pre-surgical shaving that is practiced on a patient.
The pre-surgical shaving should be carried out in the operating room, preferably immediately before the surgical intervention.
The trichotomy is performed according to the site of the surgery.
What is the trichotomy for?
The objective of this practice is to clear the hair from the area of operation and the surrounding space to avoid the risk of infection in the wound.
What is the procedure?
- The medical staff (doctors and nurses) will explain the procedure performed.
- Then the nurse must wash their hands properly and collect the material with which they will perform the trichotomy. Then the nurse will put on the gloves.
- The medical staff in question will assess the area to be shaved and place it in a comfortable position.
- The nurse will moisten and soap the site to be shaved with gauze.
- Then the medical staff will begin to shave the site from top to bottom in the direction of hair growth to avoid causing injury or injury, especially if it is the area of the genitals.
- It will proceed to rinse the rake and the shaved area.
- The nurse will repeat the process until there is no trace of hair in the place.
- Then, it will proceed to rinse and dry the area.
- Then the medical staff will remove the gloves, sterilize all the material used, and then make the corresponding registration on the nursing sheet.
What materials are used to perform the trichotomy?
- Soap.
- Physiological solution or water.
- Gauzes
- Towel.
- Gloves
- Scissors.
- Hojilla or machine.
To carry out the shaving of the area, it is usual to use a rake or electric machine; however, recent studies suggest using depilatory creams to minimize any risk of infection.
Considerations
If the hair of the skin area where the incision is going to be made is very long, proceed to cut in the direction of hair growth.
Risks
The medical guidelines strongly recommend that hair not be removed before surgery unless it prevents visualization of the incision site. And if this were the case, cutting is preferred because shaving produces microabrasions that constitute a gateway for microorganisms.
The trichotomy should be performed as close as possible at the time of surgery to reduce the risk of infection.
Infections after surgical procedures (operations) can cause pain, poor wound healing, need for additional treatment, including antibiotics, more extended hospital stays, and higher costs of medical care.
Postoperative infections can cause serious problems, including failure of the surgical procedure, other surgical complications, sepsis, organ failure, and even death. Some people have a higher risk of developing postoperative infections than others.
Ways to prevent this type of infection include administering antibiotics before a procedure, when appropriate; making sure that the patient is in the best possible conditions before the elective surgery; using an antiseptic solution to “prepare” the area around an incision.
Maintain sterility (no bacteria or other organisms, such as viruses or parasites) of the surgical area (also called “surgical field”) and operating tools, and have operating room personnel wear clean scrubbing clothes, hats, and masks.
Risk factors for postoperative infection:
- Diabetes.
- Obesity.
- Advanced age.
- Emergency operations.
- There is obvious contamination (with debris, pus, feces, or other substances) of the lesion or the surgical area.