Surgical wound classification (SWC)

   Surgical wound classification (SWC) is an important predictor of postoperative surgical site      infections and this will ensure that correct classification is recorded (e.g., clean contaminated). 
SWC should be added to any structured operative debrief after a gynecologic surgery.

Surgical wound classifications
Class	Type	Description
I	Clean	An uninfected operative wound in which no inflammation is encountered and the respiratory, alimentary, genital, or uninfected urinary tracts are not entered. In addition, clean wounds are primarily closed and, if necessary, drained with closed drainage. Operative incisional wounds that follow non penetrating (blunt) trauma should be included in this category if they meet the criteria.
II	Clean-contaminated	Operative wounds in which the respiratory, alimentary, genital, or uninfected urinary tracts are entered under controlled conditions and without unusual contamination. Specifically, operations involving the biliary tract, appendix, vagina, and oropharynx are included in this category, provided no evidence of infection or major break in technique is encountered.
III	Contaminated	Open, fresh, accidental wounds. In addition, operations with major breaks in sterile technique (for example, open cardiac massage) or gross spillage from the gastrointestinal tract, and incisions in which acute, non- purulent inflammation is encountered, including necrotic tissue without evidence of purulent drainage (for example, dry gangrene), are included in this category.
IV	Dirty-infected	Includes old traumatic wounds with retained devitalized tissue and those that involve existing clinical infection of perforated viscera. This definition suggests that the organisms causing the postoperative infection were present in the operative field before this operation.