Abdominal Wound Dehiscence- How Common Is It in Early Post-surgical Period

Objective:To determine the frequency of this complication in two localsurgical setups, and to review and identify risk factors responsible for the calculated rate. Material and Methods: This descriptive study was carried out in the Department of Surgery, LiaquatUniversityHospital and Isra University, Jamshoro / Hyderabadfrom June 2011 to January 2012. The study included patients undergoing emergency or elective abdominal laparotomy. These patients were followed for postoperative complications up to one month. Patients who developed abdominal wound dehiscence were further analyzed to calculate its frequency and associated factors Results: During the study period, 98 patients underwent laparotomy with axillaryclearance as per inclusion criteria. The age of patients ranged from 19 years to 78 years, with mean age 30.65 years. Out of total 98 patients 58 were males and rest were females. Overall rate of wound dehiscence was 7.14% (7 out of 98). The rate was more in emergency laparotomy (9.09%) as compared to the non-emergency laparotomy procedures. The analysis of data showed that the most common risk factor associated with the wound dehiscence was wound sepsis (29.6%), followed by the chest infection (24.1%), old age (22.2%) and uremia (20%) accordingly. Most common complication following wound dehiscence was wound sepsis (87.5%) followed by intra abdominal abscesses (50%). Conclusion:Abdominal wound dehiscence is a morbid complication of the abdominal laparotomy. The preventable contributory factors should be apprehended before surgery to avoid this complication