Wound Dehiscence

While working in a hospital, we come across many unusual and intriguing medical cases. Being a science graduate and working in the hospital for over 2 years, I never came across a case of wound dehiscence. Working around an ICU, I saw many cases of scarring due to surgery, some people having extended periods of recovery and even mortality cases. But recently, I came across a new case called wound dehiscence. In this article, we will learn about this complication of surgery called wound dehiscence.

Wound Dehiscence Definition
The premature 'bursting' open of a wound along the surgical suture is called wound dehiscence. The opening of the wound occurs around 7 to 10 days after a surgery. This condition carries a very high risk of infection and even death, when left untreated.

Wound Dehiscence Causes
There are many wound dehiscence causes that lead to poor wound healing. The possible wound dehiscence causes include:

• Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome: This is a genetic disorder where the body is unable to make collagen. This collagen is essential for scar formation.
• Scurvy: The deficiency of vitamin C leads to development of scurvy. Vitamin C or ascorbic acid is very important to build the cross links of collagen fibers. When vitamin C deficiency occurs, these cross links become weak and leads to formation of weak scar tissue.
• Diabetes: If there is poor blood supply and inflammation in the wound, it leads to poor nutrition supply. Diabetics have a poor blood supply to some parts of their body and this leads to weak scar tissues.
• Other causes may include pulmonary diseases, radiation therapy, cardiovascular diseases, advance age, anemia, vomiting, cancer, alcoholism, coughing, diarrhea, jaundice and antineoplastic agents.

Wound Dehiscence Risk Factors
The wound dehiscence risk factors include:

• Obesity
• High blood pressure
• Advanced age
• Poor nutrition
• Diabetes
• Smoking
• Wound trauma after surgery
• Poor knotting or grabbing of stitches
• Sex: Females are more prone to developing wound dehiscence

Wound Dehiscence Treatment
The wound dehiscence treatment includes packing the wound with excessive gauze. This package is then secured with a tape. This helps the muscles in the area with the much-needed support to heal. Doctors may advise an antibiotic therapy to help heal the wound and keep infections at bay. The wound dressing is frequently changed to prevent infections. The wound may also be exposed to air to help in accelerating the healing process and preventing infection. It also assists in the growth of new tissue.

Many times surgical intervention becomes necessary and the contaminated, dead tissue is removed. Surgery may also be carried out for resuturing and placing temporary or permanent piece of mesh to bridge the gap between the wound.

This was some information related to wound dehiscence. When you experience wound dehiscence, special care needs to be taken to avoid any infections and further complications. You will need to take oral antibiotics for a stipulated time and carry out frequent wet dressing changes and drainage of the tissues with a sterile gauge. Initially, the doctor needs to take care of the dressings and gradually a nurse or family member can carry out the dressings. Most of the patients are unaware of this open wound condition called wound dehiscence. It is always better to ask your doctor any queries related to wound dehiscence if you find yourself in one of the risk group factors. This will help you take better care of yourself or your loved one in case of any complications. I hope this article on wound dehiscence has helped you gather some information on wound dehiscence.