Is it painful to remove stitches after laparoscopy?

Laparoscopic surgeries have many advantages over open surgeries. This is, first of all:

1. Less trauma and, accordingly, shorter recovery times.
2. Less pronounced adhesive process.

That is why doctors are using laparoscopy more and more often, especially during interventions on the uterus, ovaries, fallopian tubes, gall bladder, etc. The range of operations performed is constantly expanding.

After such an operation, the patient usually remains in bed for only a few hours; during the first day he is already allowed and even recommended to walk (the degree of activation depends on the type and severity of the surgical intervention).

After laparoscopic surgery, several small sutures remain on the anterior abdominal wall to close the incisions used to insert instruments.

This article will discuss when sutures are removed, whether or not it is painful to remove sutures after laparoscopy, how it is done, and what are the signs that healing has gone wrong.

After operation

The speedy healing of a postoperative wound is ensured by careful care of it. Postoperative care includes treating the skin with antiseptic solutions, applying a clean gauze pad and fixing the bandage with a bandage. The dressing must be changed regularly, while at the same time inspecting the postoperative wound for the slightest signs of complications (swelling, redness, discharge).

Doctors may use several types of sutures.

They can be made with self-absorbing threads (both natural and synthetic materials are used to connect the edges of the wound). These sutures on the skin usually dissolve on the 6th day after the intervention.

There are also removable sutures; when used, the suture material is removed after the wound has healed.

On what day are sutures removed after surgery? There are no clearly established deadlines for which day to remove the sutures; in each case, the doctor decides this issue individually. Typically this period varies from 6 days to two weeks. In this case, the patient, most often, has long been discharged from the hospital (if the operation was not performed on an outpatient basis). Upon discharge, the attending physician tells how to properly care for the postoperative wound and informs the patient on the day when he needs to come to remove the stitches.

If the sutures are removed on time, they do not grow into the skin and, if healing proceeds without complications, there should be no pain, there may be slight discomfort. Correct placement of suture material, timely removal, and proper suture removal technique help minimize these discomforts.

Self-withdrawal

It is not recommended to remove suture material on your own, as there is a high risk of infection. Dressing room conditions are required. Carrying out such a procedure in out-of-hospital conditions is justified only if it is impossible or, for some reason, unavailable for medical help. In addition, complete confidence in the healing of the wound is necessary. In order to remove sutures, sterility must be maintained. To remove stitches after laparoscopy you will need an antiseptic, a sterile cloth, tweezers, and scissors.

You should also make sure that all instruments are sterile!

An approximate algorithm of actions is as follows:

1. Before carrying out the procedure, you must wash your hands and wear gloves.
2. The bandage is removed and the skin is generously treated with an antiseptic solution.
3. Using tweezers, pry up the edge of the seam, pull it up, make an incision with scissors near the skin and remove it so that the section of the thread that was on the outside does not pass under the skin (thus the scar remains “clean” and the risk of infection is minimal).
4. The scar is again treated with an antiseptic and a sterile bandage is applied. The sterile dressing is changed daily.

How to understand that something went wrong?

If an infection gets into the wound, it manifests itself as follows:

1. The discomfort in the suture area does not subside; over time, this area becomes more and more painful.
2. Visually, the skin is swollen and red.
3. The bandage becomes wet, and various discharges (mucus, pus, blood) may appear.
4. The patient's general condition also worsens; body temperature, weakness, pain in the head and muscles may increase.

If the above symptoms appear, you should consult a doctor as soon as possible. Depending on the severity of the condition, he will be able to select an appropriate treatment for the current situation.

Sometimes you can cope with inflammation with the help of physical therapy (UVR). When the process has already started, it may even be necessary to remove sutures, re-treat the wound, install drainage, and prescribe antibiotic therapy.

In any case, the decision on further management tactics for such a patient is made by the attending physician.

Laparoscopic surgery is an innovative method and has a number of advantages compared to abdominal surgery. It helps to avoid large incisions, scars and a difficult postoperative period. Sutures after laparoscopy leave behind only barely noticeable points. However, the successful healing process of sutures largely depends on the correct actions of the patient.

On what day are sutures removed after laparoscopy?

The suture material used after laparoscopy can be self-absorbable threads, which usually dissolve on the sixth day after the procedure. There is also a removable suture material that is removed after the wound has healed.

When sutures are removed after laparoscopy, the doctor decides individually for each patient. It all depends on how long it takes for his postoperative wounds to heal. Typically this period is 5-7 days. But if healing is slow, it may take 2-3 weeks.

In addition, sutures after surgery are removed at different times depending on the complexity of the pathology for which laparoscopy was performed. The process may be delayed if drainage is installed during laparoscopic intervention. In this case, the patient will first have to remove the drainage when it has completed its functions, and only then, after some time, the suture material itself.

Signs of a normal healing process

When laparoscopy is over and patients are sent home, they would like to know when they can wet the sutures, what the proper care for the sutures should be and how to understand that the healing process is going as it should. A certain clinical picture that will accompany the patient during the recovery period may alarm him to some extent. These may be the following symptoms:

1. aching pain in the puncture area;
2. mild suppuration or hyperemia;
3. moisture in the wound surface;
4. the seam itches;
5. A small seal forms under the seam.

This is completely normal when the skin heals. In particular, itching indicates that new tissue is growing in the puncture area. Removing drainage during laparoscopy, as a rule, does not affect the normal healing process of the wound site.

When performing laparoscopy, the patient is always given 3-4 punctures in the peritoneum. Moreover, the localization of one of them remains unchanged regardless of the area of ​​application of this manipulation, and is located just below the navel. This is quite a problematic area for the healing of surgical wounds.

What may be the complications of healing and their causes?

Sutures after surgery can be internal or external. Soft swelling at the site of a surgical wound may indicate that the internal suture material has come apart. Well, it’s simply impossible not to notice that after laparoscopy the external suture has come apart. However, this is an extremely rare complication in clinical practice. The following pathological processes are observed much more often:

1. the wound does not heal for a long time;
2. a ligature fistula of the postoperative scar appears;
3. a bruise or bump appears in the area of ​​the scar;
4. irritation develops on surgical threads in the form of severe itching;
5. a seal appears under the seam or it becomes hard;
6. the navel gets wet;
7. Severe inflammation developed and the suture festered.

Even a cosmetic scar may bother you for some time after the stitches are removed, especially if its location is the navel.

The wound surface does not heal well after laparoscopy for the following reasons:

1. decreased immune status;
2. violation of the body's regeneration functions;
3. chronic endocrine diseases;
4. hormonal disorders;
5. overweight;
6. medical errors;
7. non-compliance by the patient with medical recommendations;
8. geriatric age of the patient.

Despite the fact that recently catgut and synthetic absorbable surgical material have become increasingly popular among doctors, it is possible that it will only be partially absorbed, which leads to the appearance of an infected lesion and suppuration. In this case, the patient cannot do without medical care.

Necessary materials and recommendations for caring for seams at home

When treating stitches at home, you need to stock up on the following dressings and what to apply to the wound:

1. brilliant green;
2. hydrogen peroxide;
3. medical alcohol;
4. hypertonic solution;
5. sterile gauze or other dressing material;
6. tweezers;
7. cotton buds;
8. surgical plasters.

After thoroughly washing your hands and treating them with an antiseptic (it is better to wear sterile gloves), you need to carefully open the wound. If the wound surface is wet and ichor is released from it, then you should definitely consult your doctor.

You can safely begin self-treatment if the wound surface is dry. Care for the wound should be as follows:

1. Made from sterile dressing material, the roller is moistened with alcohol and gently wiped over the scar, after which the skin is allowed to dry.
2. If pain appears during the above-described manipulation, then a gauze bandage soaked in a hypertonic solution is applied to the wound and a bandage is applied.
3. If there is no pain or burning sensation, then you can further treat the seams using a cotton swab, which is moistened in a solution of brilliant green. At the end of the procedure, a sterile bandage is applied to the wound surface, which is fixed with a plaster.

If the attending physician does not mind, then the wound does not need to be sealed, but you should be extremely careful not to accidentally damage the scar by catching it.

The process of removing stitches and whether it is possible to remove them yourself

Suture removal after laparoscopy should be carried out in the dressing room of the surgical department. Some people try to remove them on their own, but this is not recommended, since there is a high risk of secondary infection. In the manipulation room, using a special tool, the process of removing suture material is as follows:

1. The bandage is removed and the skin is thoroughly treated with an antiseptic.
2. Using tweezers, pull up the edge of the seam. After this, it is cut with scissors right next to the skin so that the outer section of the thread does not have to be pulled under the skin.
3. After removing all the suture material, the scar is treated a second time with an antiseptic, followed by application of a sterile dressing, which is recommended to be changed every day.

If the wound becomes infected and suppuration begins, then surgical opening of the scar may be necessary to clean it of accumulated exudate. As a rule, such a procedure requires the installation of a temporary drainage system, as well as a course of antibacterial therapy.

Scar care after suture removal

Even after removal of the suture material, the scar after laparoscopy still requires special care for some time. This may take at least a week, but your doctor will give you a more precise advice.

After each water treatment, the wound should be thoroughly treated with hydrogen peroxide, dried with a sterile swab, and brilliant green should also be carefully applied to the fresh scar. This is extremely important, since even small scars formed after laparoscopy can become infected, leading to serious complications

What do scars look like after healing?

Scars after laparoscopy are almost invisible. This happens because during laparoscopy the integrity of the abdominal wall is practically not compromised. And yet, what the scar will look like after laparoscopy largely depends on proper care for it.

To prevent scarring, bandages with Curiosin gel, which contains zinc hyaluronate, are applied to the puncture site. It relieves inflammation well and also has bactericidal properties. With a lack of this substance, keloid or hypertrophic scars may appear. And when the wounds on the skin heal, Contractubex ointment is prescribed to soften the scars.

If the laparoscopic operation was performed by an experienced specialist, and in the future the patient strictly followed his recommendations for caring for the sutures, then a few subtle scars at the puncture sites will not cause any physical or aesthetic problems in the future.

This method of surgical intervention, such as laparoscopy, is very popular due to the presence of many advantages over traditional intervention. One of these advantages is the absence of scars after wound healing. To speed up the healing process of wounds after laparoscopy, you cannot do without suturing. Despite the fact that the size of the wounds during laparoscopic surgery is small (no more than 10 mm), they must be sutured in order to avoid hemorrhage. Laparoscopy is a technique of surgical intervention in the abdominal and pelvic cavity for the purpose of diagnosis and treatment. Most often, the technique includes both measures, through which it is possible to diagnose the pathology and, if possible, eliminate it.

Why is laparoscopy needed?

Surgical intervention using special equipment allows timely diagnosis and treatment of serious types of diseases. Laparoscopy is a simplified and gentle surgical technique. The main difference between laparoscopic surgery and traditional surgery is the absence of the need to make an incision. Instead of an incision, three or four small punctures are made through which the treatment is carried out.

With the help of surgical laparoscopic intervention, the following types of ailments can be cured:

1. uterine appendages;
2. endometriosis;
3. pathological abnormalities in the fallopian tubes;
4. subserous uterine fibroids;
5. suspicion of ovarian apoplexy;
6. removal of cystic neoplasms.

It is important to know! Laparoscopy allows you to cure female infertility, which is the main advantage of surgical intervention.

Features of the operation

Before laparoscopic surgery, the patient should undergo all necessary tests. You can find out in detail about the list of necessary tests from your attending physician. In addition to taking tests, you need to visit a therapist, anesthesiologist and dentist. As soon as good test results are obtained, the doctor will set a date for the operation. The date of the operation is influenced by such an indicator as the female menstrual cycle. During menstruation, surgery is strictly prohibited.

On the eve of the operation, the intestines are cleansed using an enema. Once the patient is ready for surgery, the anesthesiologist administers anesthesia, causing her to fall asleep.

It is important to know! During laparoscopy, endotracheal anesthesia is used, since other types of drugs are prohibited with this method.

During laparoscopic surgery, carbon dioxide is supplied into the abdominal cavity, which puts pressure on the diaphragm. This causes the lungs to lose their ability to breathe on their own. After the anesthesia takes effect, 3-4 punctures are made in the abdominal area. One puncture is placed above the navel, which measures 10 mm, and two/three others are made slightly lower on the sides. Surgical intervention is performed through these punctures.

As soon as the operation is completed, the doctor sews up the puncture sites. Each puncture requires no more than two stitches. After this, the patient is revived and transferred to the ward.

Postoperative recovery stage

If the operation was successful and there are no prerequisites for the development of complications, then the patient is allowed to get out of bed and eat on the second day. For suturing, threads from various materials are used. Most often, ordinary threads are used, which need to be removed after a while. On what day should sutures be removed after laparoscopy? This is a very important question, since regular threads should be removed at a certain period after the operation. The sutures must be removed on the fifth day, for which the woman must come to the hospital where this procedure will be performed. Removing sutures on the fifth day is a standard approach, which is not always suitable in practice.

When to remove the sutures is decided by the doctor who performed the operation. After all, the period of suture removal is influenced by such an indicator as the speed of wound healing. If wounds heal too slowly, the period may increase to 2-3 weeks. Throughout the healing period, wounds need to be properly cared for.

Depending on what suture material the doctor used, it is necessary to carry out proper care of the wounds. If self-absorbable threads were used, there is no need to remove them, as they will dissolve on their own. Regular threads must be removed, otherwise they will fuse with the skin, which can subsequently provoke the development of pathologies. To prevent harmful bacteria from appearing on the seams, it is imperative to care for wounds with the help of special medications: brilliant green, peroxide, iodine, bandage.

Features of scar care

To avoid scar formation on the body after surgery, proper wound care is required. After the doctor removes the stitches (or they dissolve), you will need to continue caring for your scars for a week.

After each bath or shower, you need to treat the wounds with peroxide and brilliant green. This will prevent infection from entering wounds that have not yet fully healed. If you do not treat wounds that have not completely healed, then an infection can get inside, causing the development of inflammatory processes.

It is important to know! If, during the healing of wounds, pus is released from them, you should immediately go to the hospital.

Return to normal life

You can return to normal activities after some time, when the wounds have healed. Sexual activity can be carried out one month after the operation after the first menstruation. After laparoscopy, the likelihood of becoming pregnant increases, so it is important to use contraception during sexual intercourse.

It is important to know! The postoperative period of laparoscopic intervention is the best time to conceive a baby.

On the third day, if there are no contraindications, the doctor discharges the patient. In this case, the woman needs to visit the hospital every day so that the doctor can monitor the wound healing process. You can do heavy physical labor no earlier than after 1-2 months, which depends on the speed of wound healing. You should consult a doctor if the following ailments develop:

1. increased body temperature;
2. the appearance of vomiting and nausea;
3. deterioration of health;
4. increased heart rate.

Complications after laparoscopy occur in rare cases, which may be due to improper wound care. Considering the fact that the operation is the most gentle, but no less effective than the traditional method, it requires careful preparation of the patient, both the day before and at the end of the process.