title: [Closing the abdominal wall - challenges and possible solutions].
abstract: The most common complications after abdominal surgery - wound infections and the development of incisional hernia - are associated with the opening and closing of the abdominal wall. Depending on the selection of patients, wound infection rates of up to 19 % and hernia rates of up to 38 % are reported. Based on a summary of the actual literature, the abdominal wall should be closed with continuous slowly absorbable sutures with a suture length to wound length ratio of over 4 using small stitches. While antiseptic suture material may help to reduce wound infections after abdominal incision, preventing the development of incisional hernia is still a unsolved problem. As there is still no standard surgical technique for abdominal wall closure, surgeons should pay greater attention to the standardisation and documentation of techniques and wound care.
authors.affiliation: Universitätskliniken des Saarlandes, Klinik für Allgemein-, Viszeral-, Gefäß- und Kinderchirurgie, Homburg/Saar, Deutschland. christoph.justinger@uks.eu
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Justinger
authors.forename: M K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Schilling
mesh_terms: D058107:Abdominal Wound Closure Techniques / Q000592:standards; D019091:Critical Pathways / Q000592:standards; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine / Q000592:standards; D005858:Germany; D046449:Hernia, Abdominal / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000601:surgery*; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care / Q000592:standards; D012086:Reoperation / Q000592:standards; D013529:Surgical Wound Dehiscence / Q000601:surgery*; D013530:Surgical Wound Infection / Q000601:surgery*; D013536:Suture Techniques / Q000592:standards; D013537:Sutures / Q000592:standards