Open abdomen in patients hospitalized in the Second Department of Surgery at Hospital de Clínicas, San Lorenzo, 2013-2023
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.53732/rccsalud/e81101Keywords:
open abdomen techniques, abdominal compartment syndrome, peritonitis, postoperative care, hospital mortalityAbstract
Introduction. Open abdomen is a surgical strategy used in critically ill patients when primary fascial closure is unsafe because of the risk of intra-abdominal hypertension, abdominal compartment syndrome, need for reoperation, or inability to achieve definitive source control. Objective. To describe the clinical profile, surgical indications, temporary abdominal closure strategies, and outcomes of patients with open abdomen admitted to the wards of the Second Department of Surgery. Materials and methods. Observational, descriptive, retrospective cross-sectional study. The population comprised adult patients with open abdomen registered in the inpatient surgical wards between August 2013 and August 2023. Of 324 identified institutional records, 50 corresponded to the studied ward; 10 incomplete medical records were excluded and 40 consecutive cases were analyzed. Results. Mean age was 46.92 ± 17.89 years and 72.5% of patients were male. Fecal peritonitis was the main indication (82.5%) and the Bogotá bag was the most frequently used temporary closure technique (75%). Planned ventral/incisional hernia was classified as a delayed closure strategy (97.5%). In-hospital mortality was 5%. Conclusion. Among patients admitted to the surgical ward, open abdomen was mainly used for surgical control of fecal peritonitis and the Bogotá bag was the predominant technique. Mortality should be interpreted considering that patients managed exclusively in the Emergency Department or Intensive Care Unit were not included.
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