ABDOMINAL WALL

ABDOMINAL WALL

The skin of the abdominal wall, similar to all skin, is prone to develop superficial infection that may be spontaneous, due to minor trauma or infection of skin lesions such as an epider moid cyst. Although antibiotics will su ffi ce in most patients, if an abscess develops then surgical drainage may be required. The close proximity of bowel and bowel organisms opens the abdominal wall to attack fr om a wide range of highly virulent bacteria. Most commonly , these are released during abdominal surgery such as appendicectomy and hence the need for appropria te antibiotic prophylactic cover.