Septic necrosis of the midline wound in postoperative peritonitis. Successful management by debridement, myocutaneous advancement, and primary skin closure.

Wound management following laparotomy for postoperative peritonitis and varying degrees of parietal necrosis remains a challenging and controversial problem. Because maintained peritoneal integrity and primary wound closure offer the best opportunity for survival, an original technique involving bilateral incisions to relax skin and rectus fascia is proposed. This technique permits medial myocutaneous advancement and primary tension-free skin closure of midline laparotomy incisions. Sixty-nine patients with severe postoperative peritonitis were treated according from 1980 through 1985. Nine of these patients died of advanced multiple organ failure soon after referral, and eight more died after prolonged treatment. Fourteen patients had one or more reoperations for complications. Only nine wound failures resulted, including five eviscerations and four wound infections followed by progressive dehiscence. The bilateral relaxing incisions healed secondarily without complication. Survivors developed midline wound hernia; ten of the 52 surviving patients have had these repaired. This method of primary closure is safe when performed in conjunction with rigorous surgical care of intraperitoneal infection and may enhance survival. We recommend the technique to surgeons who treat severe postoperative peritonitis and septic necrosis of midline laparotomy wounds.