Purpose: During colonic operations, most surgeons use cotton package, towel or gauze to protect the operative field and the small bowels. But these have potential disadvantages such as protrusion, dryness of bowels, possibility of contamination by Permeation of fecal materials in case of unwanted fecal spillage or minor injury of serosa by traction on transient adhesive state between cotton cloths and serosa of the small bowel leading to further adhesion and intestinal obstruction. To obviate these disadvantages, we needed to find out other materials and methods.
Methods: We selected the polyethelene bag, which we usually use to wrap foods or goods in shops to wrap the small bowels. It has a diameter of about 20 cm and is sterilized by EO gas for 24 hours before operations. After opening the abdomen, the small bowel including the mesentery was wrapped in the polyethylene bag containing 3 0∼50 co of saline. Then the mouth of the bag was tied around the root leaving as aperture of 1 finger width. The air in the bag was removed through a small incision on the uppermost part of the bag.
Conclusion: We believe that this type of polyethylene bag is cost effective, easily available and free from dryness, contamination by unwanted fecal spillage and less injurious than cloths by permiting free mobility of the small bowel floating in the saline in the bag. This method has been used for 2 years with great success in all cases.
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