A retrospective analysis of early and late term complications in patients who underwent application of retention sutures for gastrointestinal tract malignancies.

Objective: Complications associated with wound healing after abdominal tumor operations continue to be a significant problem. This study aimed to determine the significance of retention sutures in preventing these complications. For this purpose, early and late term results of patients who underwent application of polydioxanone (PDS) and additional retention sutures for abdominal closure were retrospectively evaluated.

Material And Methods: Clinical files of 172 patients who were operated due to gastrointestinal tract malignancies in our clinic between January 2007 and January 2011 were retrospectively analyzed. Patients in whom the fascia was repaired only with PDS (Group 1) were compared to patients in whom the fascia was repaired with PDS and retention sutures (Group 2) in terms of age, gender, postoperative evisceration-wound infection (<1 month), incisional hernia (>1 month), incision type, co-morbid factors, and operative time.

Results: There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of age or gender (p=0.680 and p=0.763). No significant difference was detected in terms of postoperative incisional hernia (p=0.064). Evisceration and post-operative wound infection were significantly lower in Group 2 as compared to Group 1 (p=0.008 and p=0.002). Operative time was significantly longer in Group 1 than in Group 2 (p<0.0001). Co-morbid features were significantly higher in Group 2 than in Group 1 (p<0.0001). There were no significant differences between the groups in terms of incision type (p=0.743).

Conclusion: In the presence of co-morbid factors that disrupt wound healing in surgical patients with gastrointestinal malignancy, retention suture can be safely used as a supplement for optimal wound care.