Effect of Operative Wound Protection on Surgical Wound Complications

Lim, Jin Hong; Kim, Sung Soo; Choi, Won Hyuk; Oh, Sung Jin; Hyung, Woo Jin; Choi, Seung Ho; Noh, Sung Hoon

Abstract

PURPOSE: Surgical wound complications remain a cause of morbidity and mortality among postoperative patients, and the cost of caring for patients with a surgical wound complication is substantial. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the ability of a vinyl wound protector to reduce the rate of wound complications when used in clean-contaminated surgery.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Between May 2006 and September 2006, 295 patients with a gastric cancer that underwent gastric surgery were studied prospectively, and the patients were randomized into one of two groups: the no wound protector group (n=137) or the polyethylene protector group (n=132).
RESULTS
The demographics and operation type and operation time were similar for patients in both groups. The rate of wound complication was different between patients in the no protector group (n=42) and the polyethylene protector group (n=12) (P=0.001) and the rates of seroma (P=0.001), infection (P=0.030) and dehiscence (P=0.282) were different for the two groups. The postoperative hospital stay was significantly shorter in the polyethylene protector group of patients (P=0.040).
CONCLUSION
The use of a polyethylene protector resulted in a reduction of the surgical wound complication rate, and the cost of caring for patients, and morbidity and mortality among postoperative patients could be reduced.