Can postoperative abdominal wound dehiscence be predicted?

The purpose of this study was to identify risk factors in wound dehiscence and to determine which factors might be predictable. Forty patients with abdominal wound dehiscence were compared with 40 control patients standardized by sex and age. Hypoproteinemia, nausea/vomiting, fever, wound infection, abdominal distension, type of suture material, 2 or more abdominal drains, and the surgeon's experience were factors significantly associated with wound dehiscence. Emergency surgery, jaundice, ostomy, total parenteral nutrition, ascites, pulmonary morbidity, co-existence of disease, anemia, leucocytosis, and type of incision were nonsignificant variables. The number of patients with wound dehiscence increased with an increase in the number of risk factors, reaching 100% for patients with 8 risk factors. The risk factors of wound dehiscence can be predicted early and their number can be decreased before and after surgery by an experienced surgeon, leading to a lowered incidence of wound failure.