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Related Experiment Videos

Hair and neurosurgery.

K R Winston1

  • 1Department of Surgery (Neurosurgery), University of Colorado Medical School, Denver.

Neurosurgery
|August 1, 1992
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Shaving hair before neurosurgery does not reduce surgical wound infection risk and may increase it. This study analyzed 638 neurosurgical cases, finding shaving potentially elevates infection rates.

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Area of Science:

  • Neurosurgery
  • Infectious Disease Control
  • Surgical Preparation

Background:

  • Preoperative hair removal is a common practice in neurosurgery.
  • The impact of hair removal on surgical site infection (SSI) rates remains debated.
  • Existing literature lacks definitive evidence on the benefits of shaving in neurosurgical procedures.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the association between preoperative hair removal by shaving and surgical wound infection rates in neurosurgery.
  • To determine if shaving hair impacts infection risk in cranial and cerebrospinal fluid shunt procedures.
  • To propose an alternative hair management technique for neurosurgery.

Main Methods:

  • Prospective analysis of 638 consecutive neurosurgical cases over 40 months.

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  • Detailed recording of surgical wound infection rates.
  • Stratification of infection rates for cranial procedures and cerebrospinal fluid shunt placements.
  • Review of relevant nonneurosurgical and microbiological literature.

    • Main Results:

    • The overall surgical wound infection rate was 1.1%.
    • Cranial procedures had a low infection rate of 0.3%.
    • Procedures involving cerebrospinal fluid diversion (shunts) showed a higher infection rate of 2.8%.

    Conclusions:

    • Preoperative hair removal by shaving does not appear to lower the risk of surgical wound infection in neurosurgery.
    • Shaving hair may potentially increase the risk of surgical wound infections.
    • A refined technique for skin and hair preparation and intraoperative hair management is recommended.