A surgical wound is a cut or incision in the skin that is usually made by a scalpel during surgery. A surgical wound can also be the result of a drain placed during surgery. Surgical wounds vary greatly in size. They are usually closed with sutures, but are sometimes left open to heal.
Surgical wounds can be classified into one of four categories. These categories depend on how contaminated or clean the wound is, the risk of infection, and where the wound is located on the body.

Causes Surgical Wounds Infection
Surgical wounds can become infected by:
- Germs that are already on your skin that spread to the surgical wound
- Germs that are inside your body or from the organ on which the surgery was performed
- Germs that are in the environment around you such as infected surgical instruments or on the hands of the health care provider.
Surgical Wound Classification
There are different levels of wound infections:
- Superficial — the infection is in the skin area only
- Deep — the infection goes deeper than the skin into the muscle and tissue
- Organ/space — the infection is deep and involves the organ and space where you had surgery
Class I:
These are considered clean wounds. They show no signs of infection or inflammation. They often involve the eye, skin, or vascular system.
Class II:
These wounds are considered clean-contaminated. Although the wound may not show signs of infection, it is at an increased risk of becoming infected because of its location. For example, surgical wounds in the gastrointestinal tract may be at a high risk of becoming infected.
Class III:
A surgical wound in which an outside object has come into contact with the skin has a high risk of infection and is considered a contaminated wound. For example, a gunshot wound may contaminate the skin around where the surgical repair occurs.
Class IV:
This class of wound is considered dirty-contaminated. These include wounds that have been exposed to faecal material.
Tips for reducing the risk of infection
To reduce the risk of infection:
- Ask doctor how long you need to keep the area dry. Follow doctor’s instructions exactly.
- Look at the incision every day, checking for signs of infection.
- Change the dressing as your doctor recommends.
You are more at risk for a surgical wound infection if you:
- Have poorly controlled diabetes
- Have problems with your immune system
- Are overweight or obese
- Are a smoker
- Take corticosteroids (for example, prednisone)
- Have surgery that lasts longer than 2 hours
You may notice some soreness, tenderness, tingling, numbness, and itching around the incision. There may also be mild oozing and bruising, and a small lump may form. This is normal and no cause for concern.Treatment Reference





