Eventration as a complication in general and vascular surgery

: Eventration is a serious complication in the abdominal surgery. Despite the surgical suture technique improvement the frequency of this complication is still increasing. In the paper the cases of the patients operated for the diseases requiring laparotomy from November 1991 to December 1997 were retrospectively analysed. There were 4030 laparotomies done because of vascular or other surgical diseases. In 23 cases eventrations were postoperatively observed (0.57%). Mean age was 58.7 years. 11 patients were qualified for the emergency surgery (6 patients with acute abdominal diseases and 5 with vascular diseases). 12 patients were operated electively (6 patients--general surgery, 5--vascular reasons). Among 23 patients with eventrations--16 patients were qualified for the relaparotomy with abdominal cavity suture. In 7 cases because of bad general condition of the patient only the skin suture above the eventration in the intensive care station was performed and abdomen was wrapped with the bandage. There were 8 deaths: 2 patients (8.7%) after skin suture and 6 patients (26.1%) after reoperation. Respiratory or respiratory and circulatory insufficiency was observed in 13 patients (56.5%). In 60.8% of cases (14 patients) wound infection was recognized and in 3 cases sepsis occurred in the postoperative period. The disease that was the reason for the surgery did not play a significant part in the eventration occurrence frequency. The condition of the patient before the surgery was the most important prognostic factor of the eventration. In patients with bad condition it is more convenient to perform the suture of the skin above the abdominal viscera first and later the reoperation.