Outcome of components separation for contaminated complex abdominal wall defects.

BACKGROUND: Contaminated large abdominal wall defects can pose a formidable challenge to the surgeon. This study compared the outcome of components separation (CS) for complex ventral defects with or without contamination.
METHODS: A retrospective review was conducted of all patients who underwent CS over an 8-year period. Pre-operative factors such as the presence/absence of contamination were analyzed for their effect on length of hospitalization, readmission rate, post-operative complications, re-intervention rate, and long-term recurrence.
RESULTS: A total of 34 patients was analyzed. There were 18 males (53%) with a mean age of 57 years. Mean body mass index was 31 kg/m(2). Seventeen patients (50%) had prior repair (mean 2.1 repairs per patient, median 2). Mean size of abdominal defect was 255 cm(2). Out of the 34 patients, 13 had infected or contaminated defects, including 5 patients with infected mesh. Length of stay was longer in the contaminated group (11.1 vs 3.1 days, P < 0.01). A higher complication rate was noted in the setting of contamination (77 vs 38%, P = 0.03). During a mean follow-up of 47 months, no difference was noted in the re-intervention rate (38 vs 29%, P = 0.70) or long-term recurrence rate of the defect (8 vs 5%, P = 1.0) (contaminated vs non-contaminated group, respectively).
CONCLUSIONS: CS is a good option for closure of large contaminated complex abdominal wall defects. Despite an increased risk of postoperative complications and longer hospitalization length, long-term outcomes are favorable.