SECTION M4G (Surgical wounds)????

[jeffrey930]

Hello, still new to MDS stuff. Stupid question if patient has a trach or g-tube can i check section M4G is that considered surgical wound. Thanks for any reply.

[CapeCodMermaid, RN]

I'm pretty sure a healed trach or gtube falls under ostomy. But wait till Talino answers your post. That poster is the MDS wizard!

[Talino]

... if patient has a trach or g-tube can i check section m4g is that considered surgical wound.

this is not clearly defined in m4g, nor has cms provided any clarification.

according to med-surg texts, a "surgical wound", when uncomplicated, will normally heal in an expected time frame. ostomy sites, for what they are intended for, cannot heal (or close), therefore, cannot arbitrarily be considered surgical wounds. on the other hand, when the ostomy is discontinued, and the site is allowed to heal or close, then the site can now be identified as a surgical wound.

this is a q&a from oasis (home care services' version of the mds 2.0) for interpretation only, not as reference --

• question 2. m0440: is a new suprapubic catheter, new peg site, or a new colostomy considered a wound or lesion?
  
• answer 2: a new suprapubic catheter site (cystostomy), new peg site (gastrostomy), and a new colostomy have one thing in common --they all end in "-ostomy." all ostomies, whether new or long-standing are excluded from consideration in responding to m0440. therefore, none of these would be considered as a wound or lesion."