Management strategies for the open abdomen: survey of the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma membership.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study is to report results from a survey of members of the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma (AAST) on strategies for management of the open abdomen.


METHODS
Invitations to participate in a web-based survey were sent to AAST members via email.


RESULTS
The response rate was 26%. For 74% of surgeons surveyed, the number of cases treated per year has increased over the last 10 years. The abdomen is left open for damage control (46% of respondents) and abdominal organ distention (22%). Most respondents use the vacuum pack system to temporarily close the abdomen (57%) and a smaller proportion use a bogota bag (18%). Ventilatory failure was the most frequent complication (72%) and elderly patients have the worse outcome. SIGNIFICANT CONCLUSIONS: Given the lack of consensus regarding optimal management strategies for the open abdomen, there is a need for prospective, multi-institutional studies to evaluate therapeutic approaches to treat this challenging problem.
MacLean
A A
AA
Department of Surgery, New York Hospital of Queens, New York, New York, USA. aam9006@nyp.org
O'Keeffe
T
T
Augenstein
J
J
D000007:Abdominal Injuries / Q000601:surgery*; D034861:Abdominal Wall / Q000601:surgery*; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003657:Decision Making; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006801:Humans