Effect of Early vs Late Water Exposure After Cutaneous Surgery

NCT07580274 | Not Yet Recruiting

• 1 other identifier: PEMH-DERM-2026-01
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 82
• Locations: 0 countries
• Sites: N/A

Brief Summary

This randomized controlled trial aims to compare the effect of early versus delayed water exposure after cutaneous surgeries on the incidence of surgical site infections. Patients undergoing elective cutaneous surgical procedures will be randomly assigned to either early postoperative water exposure within 48 hours or delayed exposure after 7 days. Wound outcomes will be assessed using the Southampton Wound Grading System during follow-up visits. The study seeks to determine whether early water exposure is safe and whether it influences postoperative wound healing and infection rates.

Conditions

Surgical Site Infection (SSI)

Keywords

Cutaneous surgery; Surgical wound infection; Early water exposure; Post operative wound care

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Postoperative Surgical Site Infection

  Assessment of the frequency of surgical site infection following cutaneous surgery in participants receiving early versus delayed postoperative water exposure.

  14 days postoperative

Study Arms (2)

Early Water Exposure Group

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants will be allowed early postoperative wound exposure to water after cutaneous surgery and will be monitored for wound infection and healing outcomes.

Behavioral: Care as usual

Standard Wound Care Group

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Participants will follow conventional postoperative wound care instructions with delayed water exposure after cutaneous surgery.

Behavioral: Care as usual

Interventions

Care as usual BEHAVIORAL

Participants will be allowed early exposure of the postoperative wound to water following cutaneous surgery according to the study protocol.

Also known as: Early Post operative Wound care

Early Water Exposure Group

Eligibility Criteria

• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Patients undergoing elective surgical procedures, such as excision of benign or malignant skin lesions, skin grafts, and skin biopsies.

You may not qualify if:

• Patients on anti-coagulants.
• Compromised immune systems e.g. pregnancy, diabetes, immunosuppressive therapies.
• Wounds that are located in areas with significant movements (e.g. joints) or that are highly prone to external contaminants (e.g. mucosal surfaces) which might bias result.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Pak Emirates Military Hospital: lead

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Surgical Wound Infection

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Wound Infection; Infections; Postoperative Complications; Pathologic Processes; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: PREVENTION
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Resident dermatology

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: May 6, 2026
• First Posted: May 12, 2026
• Study Start: June 1, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): December 1, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): December 1, 2026
• Last Updated: May 12, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-05