Annals of emergency medicine
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Comparative Study
Irrigation in facial and scalp lacerations: does it alter outcome?
Animal and human studies suggest that irrigation lowers the infection rate in contaminated wounds, but there is no evidence that this common practice is beneficial for "clean" lacerations. We tested the null hypothesis that there is no difference in the infection rate for noncontaminated lacerations to the face and scalp that are irrigated before primary closure compared with similar wounds that are closed primarily without irrigation. ⋯ Irrigation before primary closure did not significantly alter the rate of infection or the cosmetic appearance in our study population with clean, noncontaminated facial and scalp lacerations.
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[Waeckerle JF, Callaham ML, Levene M: State of the journal. Ann Emerg Med January 1998;31:1-2.].
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[Committee on Pediatric Equipment and Supplies for Emergency Departments, National Emergency Medical Services for Children Resource Alliance: Guidelines for pediatric equipment and supplies for emergency departments. Ann Emerg Med January 1998;31: 54-57.].