Negative Pressure Wound Therapy in the Management of Postoperative Abdominal Wound Dehiscence

Abstract

Background: Abdominal wound dehiscence(AWD) is one of the dreadful complications of abdominal surgery. Conventionally it is treated with regular dressing. Negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) is newest concept for management of AWD. Objective: To find out the effectiveness of NPWT in management of AWD. Material & methods: This prospective study was conducted in the Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Sir Salimullah Medical College (SSMC) and Mitford Hospital, Dhaka, Bangladesh from July2018 to June2020. Total 30 patients were fulfilled the enrollment criteria. Result: Age range of our patient was 15-60 and mean (SD) was 36.5 (± 12.204) years. Male to female ratio was 1.5:1. AWD commonly (60.66%) occurred after emergency procedure. The mean (SD) wound size waschanged from 60.21(±31.418) cm3 to 12.19(±7.453) cm3 at the end of treatment that was statistically significant. The average duration of NPWT was 8.26 days. Conclusion: The wound healing process is aided by NPWT, which makes the wound bed more favorable to early covering and reduces the mental stress and financial burden of the patient.