How do you treat a pilonidal sinus?

shower or cleanse area after each bowel movement. keep the dressing clean and dry at all times. change the dressing immediately if it becomes soiled or damp. plan shower time after a bowel movement if possible, to ensure that the patient completes a hygiene routine a minimum of once per day.

Will a sinus tract heal?

The average time for wound healing to occur is approximately 6 weeks. Laying the tract open is always appropriate when a cellulitis is surrounding the pilonidal sinus. Not uncommonly, wounds may require 4-6 months to heal, but the average healing time is approximately 2 months.

What makes an exudate different from a transudate?

Transudate is a clear fluid with low protein concentration and a limited number of white blood cells. An imbalance between the hydrostatic and oncotic pressure within the capillaries causes a transudate effusion. Light’s criteria 1) can be used to determine if the fluid is an exudate versus transudate.

What does it mean when exudate is thin and runny?

SIGNIFICANCE OF VISCOUS EXUDATE The consistency of exudate may vary from thick and viscous to thin and watery and is dependent on the amount of fluid being produced by the host and the number of white cells and bacteria in the wound (Romanelli et al, 2010). Low viscosity (thin, runny) indicates low protein content.

What does exudate stand for in medical terms?

Exudate. Sounds like someone you used to have a relationship with. But in reality, it is closely linked to the body and its natural healing mechanism. In fact, you have probably observed it firsthand. Where exactly? Well, think about the little white cotton square on the back of a band-aid. The drainage collected on this bit of cotton is exudate.

What does the color of the exudate look like?

As well as increasing viscosity, the exudate may change from a pale amber colour to yellow or brown, and sometimes green, the latter indicative of the presence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (Wounds UK, 2013)..