Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2015 Jun;12(3):265-75.
doi: 10.1111/iwj.12088. Epub 2013 May 21.

Determining risk factors for surgical wound dehiscence: a literature review

Kylie Sandy-Hodgetts  1 , Keryln Carville  1   2 , Gavin D Leslie  1
Affiliations
Review

Determining risk factors for surgical wound dehiscence: a literature review

Kylie Sandy-Hodgetts et al. Int Wound J. 2015 Jun.

Abstract

Postoperative wound healing plays a significant role in facilitating a patient's recovery and rehabilitation. Surgical wound dehiscence (SWD) impacts on mortality and morbidity rates and significantly contributes to prolonged hospital stays and associated psychosocial stressors on individuals and their families. A narrative review of SWD was undertaken on English-only studies between 1945 and 2012 using three electronic databases Ovid CINHAL, Ovid Medline and Pubmed. The aim of this review was to identify predisposing factors for SWD and assessment tools to assist in the identification of at-risk patients. Key findings from the included 15 papers out of a search of 1045 revealed the most common risk factors associated with SWD including obesity and wound infection, particularly in the case of abdominal surgery. There is limited reporting of variables associated with SWD across other surgical domains and a lack of risk assessment tools. Furthermore, there was a lack of clarity in the definition of SWD in the literature. This review provides an overview of the available research and provides a basis for more rigorous analysis of factors that contribute to SWD.

Keywords: Surgical site infection; Surgical wound breakdown; Surgical wound dehiscence.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow chart of study inclusion.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. van Ramshorst GH, Nieuwenhuizen J, Hop WC, Arends P, Boom J, Jeekel J, Lange JF. Abdominal wound dehiscence in adults: development and validation of a risk model. World J Surg 2010;34:20–7. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Webster C, Neumayer L, Smout R, Horn S, Daley J, Henderson W, Khuri S, Qua NVAS. Prognostic models of abdominal wound dehiscence after laparotomy. J Surg Res 2003;109:130–7. - PubMed
    1. Phan TQ, Theodorou P, Depner C, Lefering R, Perbix W, Spilker G, Weinand C. Failure of secondary wound closure after sternal wound infection following failed initial operative treatment: causes and treatment. Ann Plast Surg 2013;70:216–21. - PubMed
    1. Leaper DJ, van Goor H, Reilly J, Petrosillo N, Geiss HK, Torres AJ, Berger A. Surgical site infection—a European perspective of incidence and economic burden. Int Wound J 2004;1:247–73. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Mclaws ML, Irwig LM, Mock P, Berry G, Gold J. Predictors of surgical wound‐infection in Australia—a National Study. Med J Aust 1988;149(11–12):591–5. - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources