Risk factors for surgical wound complications following abdominal surgery: a systematic literature review

Abstract

A systematic literature review was carried out to identify risk factors for surgical wound complications following abdominal surgery. Studies published in English, Portuguese and Spanish in the period of 1986 to 2006 were obtained from LILACS, BDENF, PUBMED and COCHRANE database. Only randomized controlled clinical essays and meta-analyses were included. Based on these criteria, seven studies were selected. Results: risk factors associated to developing surgical wound complications included surgical technique, abdominal incision, use of two scalpels, use of surgical masks, surgical wound dressing, trichotomy and smoking. Conclusions: once the studies included in this review were limited to clean and elective surgeries, results should be interpreted with great care when extended to other types of surgeries. Controlled and randomized clinical studies involving abdominal surgery patients should be carried out to examine other risk factors for surgical wound complications.