A small prospective study has been conducted at the Royal Hobart Hospital to establish the wound infection rate in this hospital. All procedures were performed under the care of a single surgeon who routinely soaks the groin wound in Betadine. Patients were followed up on a weekly basis for six weeks and had wound inspections by an independent nurse consultant. Of the 11 patients (five female, mean age 50.3years, range 31 - 74 years, mean weight 92kg, range 60 - 130kg, mean body mass index 41) who have now completed six weeks of follow up, there were a total of 17 groin wounds. Only one of these (6%) has had an infection. Unfortunately, this study was terminated prematurely as the independent nurse who was performing the wound assessments has been replaced and there was a lag interval of at least 6 weeks before her replacement was due to start.