Incision Care: No Dressing
Your incision is to be left uncovered and open to the air.
Your Care
• Check your incision for signs of infection:
─ Warmth
─ Swelling
─ Redness
─ Change or increase in drainage
• If you are allowed to shower, let the water run over your incision. Do not
let the spray directly hit the incision. Pat your incision dry.
• Do not soak your incision in water. This includes bathtubs, swimming
pools and hot tubs.
• If you have staples or sutures on your incision, they will be removed at
your doctor’s office.
• If you have tapes called steri strips on your incision, they will fall off on
their own. Do not pull them off. You may trim the edges as they curl.
Call your doctor right away if you have:
• Any signs of infection such as warmth, swelling, redness or change or
increase in drainage
• Opening up of the incision
• Increased bleeding or pain
• Loss of appetite, nausea or vomiting
Talk to your doctor or nurse if you have any questions or concerns.
11/2005. Developed through a partnership of The Ohio State University Medical Center, Mount Carmel
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