My wound opened rather large. I have this HORRIFIC odor and its continuous leakage, why? What is this?

Question

Im literally a walking trash can. The odor from the open wound is so strong and i leak. Im changing gauze padding and underwear 3 times aday. My PS preSCRIBED me Dankin solution but it barely works. Help

Richard A. Bartlett, MD · Answer

Dear Triniti1,I am sorry to hear your have having healing issues! Dakins solution contains bleach, which will help to kill the bacteria causing the odor you smell. Changing the dressing 1 to 2 times a day is sufficient. If you are concerned about your care, make sure you verbalize this with your operating surgeon, and request to be seen in person. Do you know if you had the wound cultured? Are you taking oral antibiotics? Culturing the wound is a way to find out what bacteria is growing, so the correct and effective antibiotic can be prescribed to you. Again, speak with your surgeon if you have concerns or questions regarding your care. I wish you the best of luck with your healing.

Nelson Castillo, MD · Answer

Thank you for sharing your experience and I am sorry to hear of your open wound.  Unfortunately it sounds as if you had some tissue necrosis take place and your body is attempting to heal itself from the inside-out.  Unfortunately this takes a fair amount of time and may require additional surgery to remove the devitalized skin.  I would talk to your surgeon as they should be helping manage your wounds.

Payman Danielpour, MD, FACS · Answer

So sorry about your complication. I would make sure that the wound is debrided or cleaned and start a broad spectrum antibiotic and possibly take cultures.  Dakins solution should really help disinfect the open wound so if it is not I would see your plastic surgeon again.

Earl Stephenson, Jr., MD, DDS, MBA · Answer

I am sorry to hear about your healing problems.  If you feel that your local wound care is ineffective then I would recommend that you revisit with your plastic surgeon.  It is possible that another method of wound care would be more appropriate at this time.  Best wishes

Ven Erella, MD · Answer

Thank you for your question. I am sorry to hear that about wound healing issues. Without even seeing picture it is difficult to comment.If it is leaking you may want to change dressing  more times. If you are concerned please talk to your PS for evaluation or wound care center for proper care. Good Luck

Thomas Trey Sands, MD · Answer

Thank you for your question and I'm sorry that you are having to go through this issue. You wound is likely colonized with bacteria. The bacteria produce a lot of thick fluid that typically has an odor. This is not an overt infection but bacteria sitting on top of the wound. This is commonly seen in large open wounds. The dakins will help if done once or twice a day due to the bleach in the solution killing the bacteria. These wounds also benefit from periodic debridement to remove the non-viable tissue. Also a culture can be taken to identify the particular bacteria causing the issue and antibiotics can be started to help clear the bacterial colonization. I would ask you plastic surgeon about these things. All plastic surgeons are trained in wound care methods and should be able to take care of this. Be patient and you'll be surprised how well it heals.

Eric Desman, MD · Answer

I am sorry that you are having this problem after your tummy tuck. This is not a common problem. There are a number of different ways to get poorly healing incisions to heal. If the treatment that your plastic surgeon has recommended is not working, I recommend contacting your surgeon to let her/him know. Sorry I can't be more specific, but with so many different options available and multiple variables, it is hard to give a definitive answer. The most important thing is keeping the lines of communication open with your plastic surgeon. If you are having a healing problem, you should be in routine touch with the office. In my practice, we would see someone at least once a week until we were sure things were headed in the right direction. Good luck.

Anthony J. Taglienti, MD · Answer

Thank you for your question. I'm sorry to hear that you are going through this. Given that your wound smells, and is large, you may need a number of different options to help get things to heal - this can be a different wound packing regimen, surgical debridement, or a different topical cream. Your best bet is to contact your Plastic Surgeon for additional information and guidance. Best of luck! In the interim, continue to eat meals high in protein, and avoid excess pressure to the wound, and smoking. Best of luck!

Scott C. Lindsay, DO · Answer

Hello, I am sorry you are going through this.  At this point you need to contact your surgeon and make them aware you are not getting better with the Dakin's solution.  This needs to be seen in person and handled correctly.  Best of luck!

My wound opened rather large. I have this HORRIFIC odor and its continuous leakage, why? What is this?

Answers (9)

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