Maternity Nursing Q 119
When shaving a woman in preparation for cesarean section, the area to be shaved should be from:
A. Under breast to mid-thigh including the pubic area.
B. The umbilicus to the mid-thigh.
C. Xiphoid process to the pubic area.
D. Above the umbilicus to the pubic area.
Correct Answer: A. Under breast to mid-thigh including the pubic area.
Shaving is done to prevent infection and the area usually shaved should sufficiently cover the area for surgery, cesarean section. The pubic hair is definitely to be included in the shaving.
Option B: Infections of surgical incisions are the third most frequently reported hospital?acquired infections. Women who give birth by cesarean section are exposed to infection from germs already present on the mother’s own skin, or from external sources. The risk of infection following a cesarean section can be 10 times that of vaginal birth. Therefore, preventing infection by properly preparing the skin before the incision is made is an important part of the overall care given to women prior to cesarean birth.
Option C: The xiphoid process is definitely not included in shaving prior to cesarean section. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 27 million surgical procedures are performed in the United States each year. The CDC’s National Nosocomial Infections Surveillance system reports that surgical site infections are the third most frequently reported nosocomial infection, accounting for 14% to 16% of all such infections (CDC 2005). Preventing infection by properly preparing the skin before the incision is thus a vital part of the overall care given to women during a cesarean birth.
Option D: Proper preparation of an incision site involves removing surface dirt and oil with a soap or detergent scrub plus applying a topical antimicrobial agent that will reduce the bacterial population to a minimal level. In surgical patients, the choice of surgical scrub and the duration of scrubbing have not been shown to make any significant difference in the rate of surgical site infection in either clean or clean?contaminated wounds (such as cesarean skin incision).