Question about Incisions

[MediCane2006]

So I was perched on the wrong side of the curtain on a radical prostatectomy during my recent anesthesiology rotation and overheard the following:

Attending - "Be sure to place the bandage so you can't tell the orientation of the incision"

Resident - (puzzled) "Okay...why? It doesn't matter whether it's a Pfannenstiel or vertical, right?"

Attending - "It does matter. Place a square bandage so that he (patient) can't tell which way the incision goes."

**PAUSE**

(sarcastically) "If you don't know why we do that, you obviously don't know enough to be a resident. Go home and read."

Any help? I felt a sneaky sympathy for the poor resident since I was wondering the same thing!

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[teamdick]

well, eventually the patient will know how the incision ran.
Perhaps the patient had requested one specific type of incision, maybe he had a tattoo or something. or maybe he had a huge gut like a pregnant lady and it was easier to use a pfannestiel for exposure.

 

[MediCane2006]

well, eventually the patient will know how the incision ran.
.

That's what I figured just wanted to make sure it wasn't some obscure urology tradition or something. Thanks!

 

[JudoKing01]

I've heard Gyns argue more about that style of incision than urologists...some think vertical is best because it's right in the midline, others think pfannenstiel because of the way the fibers run...maybe the guy just had a tattoo like previously said.