Vertical skin incisions and wound complications in the XXXX parturient.

@entity1 @entity28 @entity7288 @entity190 @entity5870
OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationship between the type of skin incision and postoperative wound complications in an @entity28 population. METHODS: A hospital-based perinatal database was used to identify @entity1 with a body mass index (BMI) of greater than 35 undergoing their first cesarean delivery. Hospital and outpatient medical records were reviewed for the following variables: age, insurance status, BMI, gestational age at delivery, birth weight, smoking history, prior abdominal surgery, existing comorbidities, preoperative hematocrit, @entity5870 , duration of labor and membrane rupture, dilation at time of cesarean delivery, type of skin and uterine incision, estimated @entity190 , operative time, antibiotic prophylaxis, use of subcutaneous drains or sutures, @entity7288 , and length of stay. The primary outcome variable was any wound complication requiring opening the incision. Multiple logistic regression analysis was completed to determine which of these factors contributed to the incidence of wound complications. RESULTS: From 1994 to 2000, 239 @entity1 with a BMI greater than 35 undergoing a primary cesarean delivery were identified. The overall incidence of wound complications in this group of severely @entity28 @entity1 was 12.1%. Factors associated with wound complications included vertical skin incisions (odds ratio [OR] 12.4, P < .001) and @entity7288 (OR 3.4, P = .03). A high preoperative hematocrit was protective (OR .87, P = .03). No other factors were found to impact wound complications. CONCLUSION: Primary cesarean delivery in the severely @entity28 parturient has a high incidence of wound complications. Our data indicate that a vertical skin incision is associated with a higher rate of wound complications than a transverse incision.
