How to choose a postoperative bandage

Postoperative (or abdominal) bandages support sutures after surgery on the abdominal cavity. The word "abdominal" comes from the Latin abdomen - the stomach (which means the front surface of the abdominal wall and everything connected with it).

The main dimensional characteristics of the abdominal group are the height of the bandage and its length. The length forms the size of the product: sizes from XS (50 cm at the waist) to XXXXL (130 cm at the waist). When choosing a bandage, the height of the brace plays a key role and depends on two things:

• the way the operation was performed (location of the sutures),

• patient's height.

The location of the sutures affects the placement of the abdominal bandages when worn and the height of the bandage to be chosen. Wide bandages capture a large area of the anterior abdominal wall or back. That is why for reliable fixation of long sutures wide bandages are used.

Bandages  TM "MedTextile" 24 cm width are suitable for supporting the abdomen and postoperative sutures in the majority of cases  (exception -  complete revision of the abdominal cavity).

A wide bandage securely fixes sutures and prevents abdominal wall tension, reducing the likelihood of postoperative hernias (even with sutures of considerable width). Bandages  TM "MedTextile" 24 cm width are favorable to support postoperative sutures on the lateral surfaces of the abdominal cavity, in the chest area, and from the back.

The hardest tension of the postoperative suture is observed in the center of the incision. The probability of the appearance of postoperative hernias and hernias of the anterior abdominal line are in the same place also  (center of the incision). Therefore, using even a narrow abdominal bandage will be enough to cover the most stressed part of the suture after surgery.

The second factor influencing the choice of postoperative bandages is the patient height.

The recommendations on the width of the  bandage and patient height are as follows:

- for people below average height (up to 165 cm): the optimal bandage width is  24 cm. Such bandage will cover well all possible problem areas of the anterior abdominal wall after surgery,

- if the patient's height is more than 165 cm: the bandage width depends on the form of the sutures. All problems associated with access to the lateral, suprapubic (upper and middle median zones of the abdomen) can be solved with bandages 24 cm in width. In the cases of the surgery of open access via a large incision, it is better to choose a bandage 30 cm in width.

Usually, after surgery, the drainage tube has to be installed, and the significant advantage of the bandages TM MedTextile is their ability to fix the drainage. This is possible thanks to the perforated tape, in which a small hole can be made (at the perforation site) without damaging the product itself.

Indications of use of postoperative bandages:

• prevention of the separation of postoperative sutures
• prevention of the formation of hernias after operations
• condition after surgery on the anterior abdominal wall in cases where there are signs of weakness of the muscular skeleton of the abdominal wall (for example, overweight, a postoperative condition in the elderly - over 60 years),
• all hernias of the white line of the abdomen,
• postpartum period to accelerate the involution of the uterus, to maintain the muscles of the anterior abdominal wall,
• to reduce the mobility of the chest after injuries and surgery on the chest cavity and ribs,
• C-section (the product has to be put on in a low position reaching the pubis or falls below),
• umbilical hernias in adults (as a hernia preventing bandage). But do not forget that there exist bandages designed for hernias treatment and prevention,
• as a replacement for corsets for figure modeling (if the bandage is put on correctly, it is possible to correct the figure, visually removing 2-3 cm).

There are many options for using bandages. Only the key capacities for using these products are listed above.

Postoperative bandages TM MedTextile can be bought in any pharmacy in your city or ordered online. Сonsult your doctor before choosing the necessary model of the bandage.