Risk factors and predictive model for abdominal wound dehiscence in neonates: a retrospective cohort study

Ann Med. 2021 Dec;53(1):900-907. doi: 10.1080/07853890.2021.1938661.

Abstract

Background: Abdominal wound dehiscence (AWD) is a major complication of abdominal surgery, and neonates are a group with a high risk of AWD, which has serious consequences or can even result in death. The purpose of this study is to explore the risk factors for neonatal AWD and construct a predictive model.

Methods: The clinical data of 453 cases that underwent neonatal laparotomy from June 2009 to June 2020 were retrospectively analyzed, among which 27 cases of AWD were identified. Nine factors, including gender, age at admission, weight at admission, preterm delivery, level of preoperative anaemia, hypoalbuminemia, operation time, incision length, and incision type, were analyzed to explore their correlation with neonatal AWD.

Results: The incidence of neonatal AWD was 6.0% (27/453), among which partial wound dehiscence accounted for 4.9% (22/453) and complete wound dehiscence accounted for 1.1% (5/453). Hypoproteinemia and incision type were the independent risk factors for neonatal AWD, and weight at admission was a protective factor for AWD in the multivariate models. All these factors were incorporated to construct a nomogram, and a calibration curve was plotted. The result indicated that the actual risk was close to the predicted risk when the predicted risk rate was greater than about 35%.

Conclusions: Neonatal AWD is closely related to hypoproteinemia and incision contamination. Our predictive model showed the potential to provide an individualized risk estimate of AWD for neonatal patients undergoing abdominal surgery.Key messagesNeonatal abdominal wound dehiscence (AWD) has a serious consequence and the incidence of neonatal AWD was about 6.0% and the complete AWD morbidity is 1.1%.Hypoproteinemia and incision type were the independent risk factors for neonatal AWD.Our predictive model showed the potential to provide an individualized risk estimate of AWD for neonatal patients undergoing abdominal surgery.

Keywords: Abdomen wound dehiscence (AWD); hypoproteinemia; incision contamination; neonates; risk factors; surgery.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Abdomen / surgery
  • Humans
  • Hypoproteinemia*
  • Infant, Newborn
  • Postoperative Complications / epidemiology
  • Postoperative Complications / etiology
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Risk Factors
  • Surgical Wound Dehiscence* / epidemiology
  • Surgical Wound Dehiscence* / etiology

Grants and funding

This study was supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China [Grant No. 81801432, 81774395], the Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province of China [Grant No. 2018A030307045, 2020A1515010135, 2019A1515011744], the Postdoctoral Science Foundation of China [grant No. 2019M652990, 2019M663021] and the “Dengfeng Project” for the construction of high-level hospitals in Guangdong Province-the First Affiliated Hospital of Shantou University Medical College Supporting Funding [Grant No. [2019] 70].