Sociodemographic and operative factors associated with abdominal wound dehiscence in midline laparotomies.

Objective: To calculate the frequency of wound dehiscence after midline laparotomies; as well as look into the factors associated with the grave complication. Study Design: Cross Sectional Design. Setting: Department of Surgery, Ayub Teaching Hospital, Abbottabad. Period: 25-05-2019 to 24-11-2019. Material & Methods: Data including factors studied and diagnosis of abdominal wound dehiscence were noted on prepared pro forma. Patients were followed and final outcome was assessed. Results: Of these 134 cases, 94 (70.1 %) were male whereas 40 (29.9 %) were female. Mean age was 31.57 ± 11.38 years. Significant association of wound dehiscence with age (p=0.007), residential status (p=0.001), preoperative use of antibiotics (p=0.001), obesity (p=0.002), suture material used (p=0.011) and use of drain (p=0.001) was determined. Wound dehiscence was noted in 23 patients (17.2%). Conclusion: High frequency of wound dehiscence was observed in patients undergoing midline laparotomies during the study. Wound dehiscence was significantly associated with age, residential status, preoperative antibiotics usage, obesity, suture material preferences and drain placement. These complications must be anticipated for early diagnosis and proper management to decrease the burden of related morbidities and mortalities.