Background: Open abdomen (OA) treatment has been established worldwide. This survey examines the current status of OA treatment in Germany.
Material and methods: A national survey was conducted between October 2008 and September 2009 by questionnaires sent to 1,219 surgical departments. Data were evaluated descriptively.
Results: The response rate was 38% overall and 69% for university departments. Open abdomen treatment is used by 94% of all respondents. Most commonly used are staged abdominal lavage (87%), a commercial abdominal dressing system (82%), planned ventral hernia (69%), and other intra-abdominal dressings (e.g. vacuum pack 15%, Bogotá bag 5%). Nearly half of the respondents (46%) indicated a modification of their strategy towards vacuum techniques during the last 5 years.
Conclusions: Open abdomen procedures are widely used in German surgical departments. This survey indicates a shift of treatment strategies towards vacuum techniques but even though predominant, the effectiveness and safety of these techniques must still be confirmed by prospective controlled trials. This survey helps to identify relevant clinical questions and enables focused trial networking.