Risk Of Surgical Wound Complications Research Articles

A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Wound Complications after a Caesarean Section in Obese Women.

(1) Background: Caesarean sections in obese patients are associated with an increased risk of surgical wound complications, including hematomas, seromas, abscesses, dehiscence, and surgical site infections. The aim of the present study is to perform a meta-analysis and systematic review of the current literature focusing on the strategies available to decrease wound complications in this population. (2) Methods: We reviewed the data available from the PubMed and the Science Direct databases concerning wound complications after caesarean sections in obese women. The following key words were used: “caesarean section”, “cesarean section”, “wound complication”, “wound morbidity”, and “wound infection”. A total of 540 papers were retrieved, 40 of which were selected for the final systematic review and whereas 21 articles provided data for meta-analysis. (3) Results: The conducted meta-analyses revealed that the use of prophylactic drainage does not increase the risk of wound complications in obese women after a caesarean sections (pooled OR = 1.32; 95% CI 0.64–2.70, p = 0.45) and that vertical skin incisions increase wound complications (pooled OR = 2.48; 95% CI 1.85–3.32, p < 0.01) in obese women, including extremely obese women. (4) Conclusions: Subcutaneous drainage does not reduce the risk of a wound complications, wound infections, and fever in obese women after caesarean sections. Negative prophylactic pressure wound therapy (NPWT) may reduce the risk of surgical site infections. The evidence of using a prophylactic dose of an antibiotic before the caesarean section is still lacking.

Alcohol consumption does not increase the risk of surgical wound complications in breast cancer patients.

Alcohol consumption, despite influencing several organic processes, has been scarcely studied regarding the risk of developing surgical wound complications after surgical breast cancer treatment. The aim of this study was to analyse the association between alcohol consumption and the development of surgical wound complications in women undergoing surgical treatment for breast cancer. A prospective cohort study was conducted, comprising 486 women between 40 and 69 years old, interviewed during the preoperative period and followed up for 30 days. The occurrence of seroma, necrosis, surgical site infection (SSI), dehiscence, ecchymosis, and hematoma were considered as outcomes. Alcohol consumption during the 30 days prior to surgery was reported by 20.8% of the patients, with 8.4% being occasional consumers and 12.4% regular consumers. Binge drinking was reported by 10.2% of the women. The presence of surgical wound complications was observed in 65.2%. The most frequent complications were seroma (54.3%), necrosis (17.7%), and SSI (7.8%). No statistically significant association between alcohol consumption and the development of cicatricial complications was observed.

Preoperative epidural spinal injections increase the risk of surgical wound complications but do not affect overall complication risk or patient-perceived outcomes.

OBJECT A lack of information exists on the relationship between preoperative epidural spinal injections and outcomes after spine surgery. There is concern that injections might cause local changes, increasing the infection risk and surgical difficulty. Therefore, the authors explored the relationship between preoperative spinal injections and postoperative outcome. METHODS The cohort was comprised of patients who underwent thoracic and/or lumbar arthrodesis during the years 2007-2010 and had complete (preoperatively and 3 months postoperatively) outcome scores. Patients' clinical courses were reviewed to determine the occurrence of major complications within a 30-day postoperative period. Patient-perceived outcomes were evaluated using the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) and the SF-12 (12-Item Short Form Health Survey): mental component summary (MCS) and physical component summary (PCS) scores. Analyses were based on exposure to injections and were performed using chi-square exact tests and paired and unpaired t-tests. RESULTS Two hundred eighty patients met the inclusion criteria: 117 patients (41.8%) received and 163 patients (58.2%) did not receive preoperative epidural spinal injections. Overall, the likelihood of complication did not differ with respect to exposure (13.7% injection vs 11.7% noninjection); however, injected patients observed a 7.4-fold risk of developing surgical wound complications over noninjected patients (5.1% vs 0.6%, p = 0.02). Patient-perceived outcomes measures demonstrated no differences between groups. Three months postoperatively, the MCS and ODI scores were similar (MCS: 49.6 ± 11.6 injection vs 47.4 ± 12.8 noninjection; ODI: 35.8 ± 18.0 vs 34.4 ± 19.1). MCS or ODI score improvement (preoperatively compared with 3 months postoperatively) did not vary between groups. Injected patients maintained a 2-point lower PCS score at entry and 3 months postoperatively as compared with noninjected peers (entry: 27.6 ± 8.2 injection vs 29.5 ± 9.3 noninjection, p = 0.09; 3 months: 33.3 ± 8.6 vs 35.7 ± 9.0, p = 0.03); the PCS score improvements between injected and noninjected groups were similar (5.7 ± 9.9 vs 6.2 ± 9.7). CONCLUSIONS Patients exposed to preoperative epidural injections had similar complication rates to those who never received a spinal injection. However, they had a greater risk of developing wound complications. These complications had no effect on short-term improvements in outcome measures.

Preoperative Epidural Spinal Injections Increase the Risk of Surgical Wound Complications but Not Overall Complication Risk or Patient-Perceived Outcomes

Information is lacking on the relation between preoperative epidural spinal injections and outcomes after spine surgery; however, there is a concern that injections might cause local changes, increasing the risk of infections or even greater surgical difficulties.

Obesity and the challenges of caesarean delivery: Prevention and management of wound complications

Caesarean section in obese patients is associated with an increased risk of surgical wound complications, including haematoma, seroma, abscess and dehiscence. This review focusses on the available strategies to decrease wound complications in this population, and on the clinical management of these situations. Appropriate dose of prophylactic antibiotics, closure of the subcutaneous tissue, and avoidance of subcutaneous drains reduce the incidence of wound complications associated with caesarean section in obese patients. For treatment of superficial wound infection associated with dehiscence, there are data from general surgery patients to suggest that the use of vacuum-assisted devices leads to faster healing and that surgical reclosure is preferable to healing by secondary intention, when there are no signs of ongoing infection. There is a need for stronger evidence regarding the prevention and management of wound complications for caesarean section in obese women.

Use of electrocautery for coagulation and wound complications in Caesarean sections.

Objective. To evaluate the safety of electrocautery for coagulation during Caesarean sections. Study Design. A randomized, controlled, clinical pilot study was performed at a university maternity hospital. After admission for delivery and decision to perform a C-section, volunteers were randomized to either the intervention group (use of electrocautery for coagulation) or nonintervention group. The women were examined at the time of postpartum discharge (day 3), at days 7 to 10, and again at days 30 to 40 for signs of infection, hematoma, seroma, or dehiscence. Data were analyzed using an intention-to-treat analysis, and risk ratios were calculated. Results. No significant differences were found between the two groups. Only 2.8% of patients in the intervention group developed surgical wound complications during hospitalization. However, 7 to 10 days following discharge, these rates reached 23.0% and 15.4% in the intervention and nonintervention groups, respectively (RR = 1.50, 95% CI = 0.84–2.60). Conclusion. Further studies should confirm whether the use of electrocautery for coagulation does not increase the risk of surgical wound complications in patients undergoing Caesarean sections.