Abdominal Closure Periprocedural Care

Updated: Sep 01, 2021
  • Author: Luis G Fernández, MD, KHS, KCOEG, FACS, FASAS, FCCP, FCCM, FICS; Chief Editor: Kurt E Roberts, MD  more...
  • Print
Periprocedural Care

Equipment

Equipment required for abdominal closure includes the following:

  • Suture
  • Staples
  • Kocher clamps
  • Malleable retractor
  • Adhesive tape
  • Synthetic glue

Suture selection is highly physician-dependent. Potential advantages and disadvantages are inherent with each particular suture. Suture can be chosen on the basis of tensile strength, longevity, and size. For abdominal closures, significant benefit has been shown for the use of nonabsorbable or delayed-absorbable suture.

Nonabsorbable suture is a prominent choice because it retains its tensile strength; however, it has been reported to yield increased incisional pain. [8] This has led many surgeons to opt for delayed-absorbable suture, which can retain its original tensile strength for some time and has been reported to yield decreased suture pain. [9, 4] The suture length should be at least four times the length of the incision, ensuring that enough suture is available for adequate bites of fascia and that the stitches are not placed too far apart. [5, 3]

Next:

Patient Preparation

Patients should be under general anesthesia. They are generally positioned supine; however, in some instances, it may be important to position them laterally.

Previous