POSTOPERATIVE RUPTURE OF ABDOMINAL WOUNDS

The occasional occurrence of postoperative rupture of abdominal wounds warrants a consideration of the factors responsible for its production. This complication may constitute an emergency in the convalescence of patients subjected to laparotomy; therefore, the postoperative course in these cases, the features that suggest the diagnosis, the treatment of rupture once established and the measures aimed at prevention are all matters which merit discussion. An analysis of fifteen cases of laparotomy in which this accident occurred serves as a basis for this report. Obviously the skill and experience of the operator, and the care with which abdominal closures are made, will determine to a great extent the incidence of separations. This complication, however, occasionally will occur in the hands of the most skilled. Available figures that show with what frequency wound ruptures occur in large series of cases seem to be lacking. In our series of 2,455 abdominal operations, definite