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Updated: Jan 17, 2026
Application of Straight-needle, Three-tailed, Knot-free, Peritoneal Sutures in Laparoscopic Transabdominal Preperitoneal Hernia Repair
Published on: November 12, 2021
Hernia rate after damage control laparotomy: a retrospective review using ten core outcomes for damage control
John Cord Helmken1, Julia Lunt2, John D Cull1
1Prisma Health Upstate Department of Surgery, Greenville, SC, USA.
Background:
Long-term outcomes including incisional hernia (IH) after damage control laparotomy (DCL) are poorly understood. Ten core outcomes were recently proposed to standardize DCL studies. We evaluated these outcomes and IH rates post-DCL, hypothesizing that delayed closure, abdominal complications, leak, abscess and fistula would be associated with IH.
Methods:
We performed a single-center retrospective review of 262 patients who underwent DCL (2016-2019). IH was assessed by exam or CT at one year. Core outcomes measured were fascial closure at index hospitalization, days to closure, abdominal complications, major complications requiring reoperation or unplanned re-exploration, GI anastomotic leak, secondary intra-abdominal sepsis, enterocutaneous fistula, in-hospital mortality, 30 day mortality, and 12-month functional outcome.
Results:
IH occurred in 50.5 % of patients; 10.0 % had planned ventral hernias. No core outcome was significantly associated with IH.
Conclusion:
IH is common one year after DCL. Further studies are needed to identify modifiable factors and develop strategies to reduce IH rates.
