A Manual of Operative Surgery Vol. 2 (Classic Reprint)

Excerpt from A Manual of Operative Surgery Vol. 2<br><br>This is applicable to small sinuses and fistula to narrow linear and spindle-shaped gaps or fissures and to such defects as the simpler forms of hare-lip.<br><br>The margins of the fissure or opening are freshened by removing the integument which covers them. The strip of skin to be removed is grasped and steadied with fine-toothed forceps while the strip is severed with a narrow scalpel or sharp-pointed tenotome. The portion removed should include not only the skin but also the subcutaneous tissues and must be so free that the raw edges which are to be united are made out of sound and vascular structures.<br><br>The edges of the fresh wound are carefully cleaned bleed ing is checked by the pressure of a sponge and the margins are approximated by fine silkworm gut or silk sutures.<br><br>It is often well to leave the wound open for a while to allow time for any bleeding to cease before the sutures are finally adjusted.<br><br>In the case of larger gaps or of fissures in dense tissues tension may be relieved by undermining the margins of the wound for a certain distance with the scalpel (subcutaneous detachment). If this be not sufficient two parallel incisions may be made upon either side of the cleft as shown in Fig. 221.<br><br>About the Publisher<br><br>Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com<br><br>This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases an imperfection in the original such as a blemish or missing page may be replicated in our edition. We do however repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.