title: Risk factors for wound complications after surgery for gynecologic malignancies.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Factors in wound complications such as surgical duration and suture methods are surgeon-side problems. The purpose of the present study was to retrospectively evaluate the incidence of wound complications in patients who underwent wound closure with stainless steel staples or subcuticular sutures in surgery for gynecologic malignancies and to retrospectively determine the risk factors for wound complications.
  
  
  METHODS
  From April 2007 through March 2012, a cohort of 317 consecutive patients undergoing surgery for gynecologic malignancies was evaluated in the retrospective study. The skin was closed with stainless steel staples before March 2010 (staples group). From April 2010, the skin was closed by subcuticular suturing (subcuticular group). We compared the incidence of wound complications between 2 groups and evaluated independent multivariate associations with the effect of clinical parameters on occurrence of wound complications.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The incidence of wound disruption was 7.3% (23/317): 12.1% (17/140) in the staples group and 3.4% (6/177) in the subcuticular group (P = 0.0029). The incidence of wound infection was 2.5% (8/317): 5.0% (7/140) in the staples group and 0.6% (1/177) in the subcuticular group (P = 0.0124). Multivariate analyses performed with wound disruption as the end point revealed long-term steroid treatment, subcutaneous thickness, and skin staples as independent predictors. Subcutaneous thickness and skin staples were independent factors significantly associated with the possibility of wound infection.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The findings of the present study indicated that risk factors for wound complications after surgeries for gynecologic malignancies include, as a surgeon-side problem, the use of staples for skin closure, and as a patient-side problem, a subcutaneous thickness of more than 30 mm.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Nara Medical University, Kashihara, Nara, Japan.
authors.forename: Juria
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Akasaka
authors.forename: Naoto
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Furukawa
authors.forename: Aiko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shigemitsu
authors.forename: Seiji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kanayama
authors.forename: Ryuji
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kawaguchi
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kobayashi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D005833:Genital Neoplasms, Female / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D013529:Surgical Wound Dehiscence / Q000453:epidemiology*; D013530:Surgical Wound Infection / Q000453:epidemiology*; D055815:Young Adult