A new technique for closing abdominal incisions in patients with poor wound healing

A new procedure is described for closing the abdominal wall in patients expected to have poor wound healing. The technique uses rigid steel wires passed through both abdominal thicknesses perpendicularly to the incision with an extraperitoneal course and passed through a large Silastic tube laid on the skin surface parallel to the incision. This method considerably reduces the two detrimental effects of one layer stitches: sawing of tissues by the thread and ischemic compression of the abdominal wall. We have used this procedure in 33 patients, with 31 satisfactory results. In 10 eviscerations that occurred after other methods of closure, only 1 recurrent evisceration was observed.