Wound Disruption Following Caesarean Delivery in Women With Class III Obesity: A Retrospective Observational Study

This study sought to identify risk factors associated with wound disruption following Caesarean section (CS) in women with class III obesity and to determine the value of individualized perioperative care plans in reducing its incidence.

The study included women with class III obesity who underwent CS after 24 weeks of gestation at Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, Ontario between 2011 and 2015 and collected data on demographics, clinical history, and perioperative details. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to identify factors likely to contribute to a higher incidence of wound disruption (level of evidence II-3B).

Of the 334 identified cases, in women with a mean BMI of 48.20 ± 7.52 kg/m², there were 60 cases of wound disruption (18%). The most common perioperative interventions involved Pfannenstiel skin incisions (75.6%), subcutaneous tissue closure (65.4%), use of pressure dressings (65%), and thromboprophylaxis (71.8%). On bivariable analysis, surgical time >1 hour (24.2% vs. 13.5%; OR 2.03; P = 0.017) and the use of thromboprophylaxis (20.1% vs. 10.6%; OR 2.22, P = 0.031) were associated with increased wound disruption, but these associations were attenuated on multivariable regression analysis.

No single risk factor or perioperative intervention was independently associated with wound disruption. However, the use of individualized perioperative care plans resulted in fewer wound disruptions in our cohort when compared with published literature.