Incidence and relevance of groin incisional complications after aortobifemoral bypass grafting.

Background: Aortobifemoral bypass (ABFB) for aortoiliac occlusive disease (AIOD) is traditionally accompanied by substantial groin incisional morbidity, which poses a threat to an underlying prosthetic graft. We performed a study to investigate the frequency and define the clinical course and significance of such problems.

Methods: One hundred twenty consecutive patients undergoing primary elective ABFB for AIOD were enrolled in a prospective study. The healing of groin wounds was systematically assessed, the occurrence of incisional complications of any type noted, and their clinical course and economic consequences documented and analyzed.

Results: Early postoperative complications (30 days) affected 35 (15%) groin wounds in 29 (24.8%) patients. Lymph fistulas/lymphoceles were observed in 15 (6.4%), infection in 11 (4.7%), and noninfectious wound dehiscence in 9 (3.8%) of groin incisions. The only significant predictor of groin healing impairment was preoperative length of stay. Groin incision-related morbidity significantly increased the duration and cost of hospitalization. Sixty percent of groin healing problems were diagnosed after discharge and they represented the most common cause for early readmissions.

Conclusions: The incidence of groin wound complications after ABFB is considerable, their financial impact significant, and delayed onset frequent. Femoral incisional morbidity after ABFB still represents an unremitting nuisance, necessitating further improvements in preventive strategies and techniques and strict adherence to conventional ones, including the minimization of preoperative length of stay.