The consequences of gauze left in the abdominal cavity

Gauze is widely used in clinical practice. It may be used in bandaging wounds or in clinical operations. When it comes to the issue of gauze, many people are concerned about whether the doctor will leave the gauze in people's bodies during surgery, especially in the abdominal cavity. Generally speaking, the consequences of gauze left in the abdominal cavity are quite serious, so attention should be paid.

1. It depends on the situation

Sometimes it is necessary for the doctor to leave gauze, such as for abscess drainage, etc. Of course, this also depends on the situation. Generally speaking, your situation is not a big problem. Even if there is an infection, it may not be directly related to the gauze. Of course, a careful doctor should explain this to you. If you are worried, you can go to the hospital for another check-up.

2. In specific clinical situations, doctors intentionally leave gauze in the patient's body to compress the bleeding area to stop bleeding. This is called gauze packing hemostasis. For example, when it comes to complicated cases of liver cancer rupture or liver damage, massive presacral bleeding from rectal cancer, and placenta accreta bleeding, doctors often dare not "fight to the end" because in these cases, the more they try to stop the bleeding, the more bleeding may occur, which not only delays time but also increases the amount of bleeding. More importantly, no matter how they try to stop the bleeding, there will be no effect. Use gauze or bandage to pack and apply pressure to the bleeding wound. Some people may think that this is a backward method. Not only does the patient have to go through a long process of gradually removing the gauze after the operation, but he also has to run the risk of infection. In fact, when we remove the gauze after a few days, the bleeding will generally stop. This ancient method is in line with the modern medical concept of rapid recovery and has been applicable in clinical practice.

3. Note

If gauze and instruments are left inside the patient's body during surgery, it is undoubtedly a medical accident and a "low-level mistake" that no one can tolerate. Therefore, all hospitals have made the inventory of gauze and instruments before, during and after surgery a routine and uncompromising practice, and require the instrument nurses and circulating nurses to sign after the inventory. These measures have effectively ensured medical safety.