[Surgical site infections at Töölö hospital and the dog days myth].

Introduction: In the Finnish folklore, the time from June 23 to August 23 has been called "rotten month" (dog days), whereupon wound healing is delayed due to infections.

Patients And Methods: A retrospective comparison was made of surgical infections entered in the infections register at Töölö hospital over the dog days of 2002 to 2005.

Results: Of 49517 surgical operations, 8 % were performed during dog days, during which the number of contaminated and infected surgeries was higher.

Maintaining a glycerolized skin bank--a practical approach.

The Helsinki Burn Unit admits around 120-140 patients a year and, of these, 20-30 need intensive care. Before 1995, fresh, non-tested cadaver skin was used to cover widely meshed autografts in large burns. In 1995, we founded a skin bank to avoid the problems encountered in the use of fresh cadaver skin: contamination by viruses or bacteria, shortage of available skin, the occasionally poor quality of the cadaver skin, and the inconvenience of harvesting skin in the mortuary.