There is no doubt that a hysterectomy can be a traumatic experience for women. In fact, it is one of the most invasive surgeries that most women will face over the course of their lives. The immediate effects of a hysterectomy are far reaching.  The psychological effects of a hysterectomy can be devastating. Even women who do not plan on having any more children may experience difficulty coping with this kind of surgery.

Unfortunately, there are other risks associated with hysterectomies, and these risks can make it even more frightening for some women who are facing the surgery. Cellulitis and SSIs (surgical site infections), can cause complications after surgery for women. These issues can delay healing time, and can lead to other psychological effects as women cope with the cellulitis or SSI in addition to the effects of the surgery.

Many women may want to know if they are at risk for these kinds of issues after surgery. There are in fact multiple risk factors, as this study shows, which can include pulmonary disease, obesity, and even the lack of private insurance.  This may be concerning for some women as they go into their surgery.  Even the operating room environment in this study played a major role in whether a patient develops cellulitis (inflammation just below the skin) and a wound infection in the hospital (nosocomial).  One of my pet peeves is the wearing of O. R. scrubs as a fashion statement.  O. R. scrub attire was designed to decrease the possibility of outside contamination and not bringing it into the Operating Room.  Yet, today, you see doctors and O. R. personnel  (as well as the housekeeping personnel) wearing their “scrubs” to the food trucks outside of the hospital, wearing them home, walking and running in the street, sleeping in them.  All the while knowing that these filthy O. R. scrubs are vectors for disease and infection.  But, because everyone today is more casual, the patient has to suffer with a nosocomial infection (an infection contracted from the hospital) and needs to be treated with antibiotics or in some instances pay the ultimate price of an overwhelming, untreatable infection (such as MRSA) because someone was too lazy to change their O. R. scrubs before leaving the hospital.  Dr. Oz and other TV reality show doctors have set this unfortunate precedent by wearing their scrubs on TV, as if to make a statement that they are “real” doctors.  “Real” surgeons do not wear their scrub attire outside of the operating room, unless they are covered up with a buttoned, long, white coat.  So, the next time you see your doctor wearing scrubs outside of the Operating Room, you should call them on it.

Fortunately, the study also shows that certain precautions, such as pre-operative showers, antibiotic prophylaxis and better surgical techniques and a better operating room environment (personnel and instrumentation) can help prevent SSIs and cellulitis. It is important to figure out new ways to speed up the healing process in order to help women who have had these surgeries move on as quickly as possible—for many women, this will be one of the most traumatic experiences that they will ever go through.

– Yvonne S. Thornton, M. D., M. P. H.