Why do we have to take off all our clothes including underwear at the time of surgery?

Question

Isn't it shameful if we show ourselves naked in front of surgeons.

Answer 1

Its not shameful their job is to see human bodies all day naked or not. It is for good reason though, if there are complications they may need to access certain areas of your body that you may not think are important but really are.

Answer 2

Everything close to you, the patient, must be sterile in order to prevent infection. To insure this, they must remove all clothing. After the anesthesiologist puts you out, the remove everything and drape all of your body with the blue sterile fabric, all except the area of incision. In the short time you are exposed, everybody on the surgery team is so focused on their job that they don't look at you as a naked person, and besides, they see dozens of naked people every day.

I know this seems very personal to you, but to the people in the operating room, it is very impersonal. I know this may be of little comfort, but there really is no shame in this.

Answer 3

our undergarments are not sterile. They prep a steril area specially made just for you. There are specific rules and guidlines that all surgery rooms go by and anything from the outside of a steril area like cameras.., earrings, necklaces bracelets and even hair is a contaminent and are not allowed in the steril area. (why you need a hair net) & ((why Doctors have to wear special scrubs that cover everything ))Doctors see hundreds of naked bodys all day long its so miniscule to them they dont even notice.. I would rather lay naked and have them save my life than to be bashful and wear underware that could contaminate the incision and create a staff infection and die. You know how when you go to a pet store and see fish in an aquarium? well a fish is just another fish right.. well, to them a naked body looks like the next naked body to them.

Answer 4

this is true only of major surgery involving general anesthesia and large scale opening up. This is to minimize chances of infection.

Patient preparation may also involve shaving of the area of surgery and skin preparation with antiseptic painting. If a patient is wheeled into the operating theatre with unsterile clothing, there is also a chance of contaminating the theatre itself. It is all just Good Operating Practice.

There is no shame associated with a surgical procedure as it is all impersonal.

Answer 5

It's done because all of our clothing carries contaminants from outside that could cause complications in our surgery.

I can handle a little shame easier than I can handle a staph infection. My last surgery was prostate surgery and the doc saw all I had anyway, so I wasn't worried.

Answer 6

Protection.

Protection for the patient: clothes carry germs, and clothes also have metal components (buttons zips etc)

If you are wearing something with metal, and your heart stops, the surgeon/s would need to undress you very quickly (quite possibly while you have a gaping wound) in order to defibrillate you.

Better to be safe than sorry.

Better to be naked than dead.

Answer 7

Good question, I myself don't understand why that is done. I had to take off my underwear when I had surgery. I felt so uncomfortable doing so and I woke up half exposed! So that was worse. Did you recently go through naked surgery? Lol.

Answer 8

What is there to be ashamed of?
You do not have something that the Surgeon does not have!........drop it, man!
What is shameful to show God's own lovely creation??? YOU!!!!

Answer 9

you need not show yourself naked to anyone in the hospital.

before taking you to the operation theatre they take you to the preparation room where they ask you to remove your clothes in privacy because they are soiled / may carry infectious material and to wear the sterilised apron.

before the scheduled operation entire operation theatre and the surgical equipments are sterilised to avoid infections.

Answer 10

because you need to be in a sterilized environment. if you noticed, everybody is covered up (including the nurses) in the OR. you can't wear "street" clothes unless it is covered by sterilized/hospital attire. if your underwear or any other clothing is exposed, there's risk of it infecting your insides if your underwear touches it.