Of all the fallouts of abdominal surgery, abdominal wound dehiscence is a very serious complication both for patient and treating surgeon. Despite advances in perioperative care and suture materials, incidence and mortality rates in regard to abdominal wound dehiscence have not significantly change over the past decades. Postoperative wound problems leads to extra financial burden on patient and health system. It also leads to mental and emotional trauma to patient by delaying recovery and increasing hospital stay and producing lasting sequale. The treatment requires an array of extra  investigations, aggressive management and meticulous nursing care, therefore its prevention is of utmost importance for both patients and surgeons. Considering the wide prevalence of the post laparotomy wound problems, the present study was done to find out the incidence of wound dehiscence after laparotomy, factors that influence its occurrence and guidelines for effective management of abdominal wound dehiscence.

1. Thomas CL, Taber’s Cyclopaedic Medical Dictionary. 17^th Edition, Philadelphia: FA Davis Company; 1993, p. 2165.
2. Coleman DJ. In. Russel RCG, Williams NS and Bulstrode CJK (eds), Bailey and Love’s: Short practice of surgery, 23^rd edition, vol. 29. London: Arnold Publisher London; 2000.
3. T. Irvin C, J. Stoddard et al., “Abdominal wound healing: A prospective clinical study,” British Medical Journal Vol. 2, No. 6 083, 1977, pp 351-352.
4. Madsen, L. Fisher and P. Wara, “Burst abdomen, clinical features and factors influencing mortality,” Danish Medical Bulletin, Vol. 39, No. 2, 1992, 183-85.
5. Garg Ramaneesh, shah Sheerin, Singh Surinder, Singh Bir. “A prospective Study of Predictors for Post Laparotomy Abdominal Wound Dehiscence”, Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research. 2014 Jan, Vol-8(1): 80-83.
6. Spiliotis J, Konstantino S, Tsiveriotis, Datsis AD, Archodaula, Georgios et al. “Wound Dehiscence” World Journal of Emergency surgery 2009;4:12.
7. Lehmann JA. “Prevention of abdominal wound disruption”. Surg Obstetrics and Gynaecology, 1968;126:1235.
8. Hunt TK, “Wound healing and Diabetic Patients,” Surgery, Gynaecology and Obstetrics 2014;149:600.
9. Hunt TK, “Disorders of wound healing”. World Journal of Surgery. 1;4:271.
10. A. Dubay and M.G. Franz, “Acute wound healing: The biology of acute wound failure”, Surgical clinic of North America, Vol. 83, No. 3, 2003, pp. 463-481.
11. Penninckx FM, Poelmans SV, Kerremans RP. Abdominal wound dehiscence in gastro-enterological surgery. Ann Surg 1979;189:345-52.
12. Haley RW, Culver DH, Morgan WM. Identifying patients at high risk of surgical wound infection. Am J Epidemiol, 1985;121:206.
13. Jenkins TPN. The burst abdominal wound: A mechanical approach. Br J Surg. 1976;63:873-6.
14. Smith M, Enquist IF. A quantitative study of the impaired healing resulting from infection. Surg Gynecol Obstet 1967;125: 965-73.
15. JP Riou, JR Cohen and H. Johensen, “Factors influencing wound dehiscence,” The American Journal of Surgery. Vol 163, No. 3, 1992, pp. 324-330.
16. T.E. Bucknall and H. Ellis, “Abdominal wound closure- A comparison of monofilament nylon and polyglycolic acid,” Surg Vol. 89, No. 6, 1981, pp. 672-77.

Dr Meravi S

Postgraduate student, Department of Surgery

Gajra Raja Medical College, Gwalior (M.P.) India 474001