ZIPPER BANDAGES

Abdominal incisions require adequate support for a long period after operation and by elimination it has been established that this support is best supplied by the application of adhesive tape strips, long enough to include the back muscles. Inadequate support to the incision in the postoperative period probably contributes as much as any other factor to wound rupture. This tight adhesive application is difficult and often painful to remove. Especially is this true in hairy males or in lower abdominal operations in which the incision encroaches on the pubis. Thorough shaving preparation does not eliminate the trouble, as the hair grows into the adhesive tape before the time of the first dressing. When the skin is burned by the iodine or other sterilizing solution, or when there is an irritating drainage, the changing of the adhesive at dressing times becomes a serious ordeal.

As most surgical routines require the dressing