Frequency, manifestations, and correlates of impaired healing of saphenous vein harvest incisions.
OBJECTIVE
To describe the frequency, manifestations, and correlates of impaired healing of saphenous vein (SV) harvest incisions in hospitalized patients who had undergone coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG).


METHODS
Prospective, descriptive, correlational.


METHODS
West Coast university-affiliated medical center.


METHODS
Thirty-two English-speaking adults who had undergone CABG.


METHODS
Impaired wound healing of SV-harvest incisions.


RESULTS
The overall incidence of impaired healing was 43.8%. The most frequent manifestations of impaired wound healing at discharge were prolonged erythema (8/32), prolonged drainage (8/32), and both prolonged erythema and drainage (2/32). Correlates of impaired healing of SV-harvest incisions were body mass index (product-moment correlation = 0.39, p = 0.026) and preoperative use of diuretics (point biserial correlation = 0.42, p = 0.016).


CONCLUSIONS
Impaired healing of SV-harvest incisions in this sample occurred more frequently than previously indicated in the literature. Although severe wound infections were infrequent, a high degree of impaired healing occurred (43.8% of patients who had undergone CABG). Future studies need to explore the long-term effects of impaired healing and test interventions to mitigate impaired healing in this population.
Wipke-Tevis
D D
DD
Department of Physiological Nursing, University of California, San Francisco, USA.
Stotts
N A
NA
Skov
P
P
Carrieri-Kohlman
V
V
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001026:Coronary Artery Bypass; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012501:Saphenous Vein / Q000637:transplantation*; D013530:Surgical Wound Infection / Q000209:etiology; D014945:Wound Healing