Wound dehiscence can be accidental or done intentionally. If a sutured wound becomes infected, for example, physicians may have to surgically reopen the wound to debride the wound of infected tissue; this is a form of dehiscence.
Evisceration of a Surgical Wound
Evisceration can range from less severe, with the organs visible and slightly extending outside of the incision to very severe. For instance, intestines may spill out of an abdominal incision.
Dehiscence is a partial or total separation of previously approximated wound edges, due to a failure of proper wound healing. This scenario typically occurs 5 to 8 days following surgery when healing is still in the early stages.
Dehiscence and evisceration can be a life threatening emergency; do not leave the client immediately call for help and, using a clean, sterile towel or sterile saline dampened dressing, cover the wound. Under no circumstance should reinserting the organs be attempted.
Simple wound care is all that is required in the majority of cases, with regular wound packing and cleaning with sterile saline. The patient should be advised the wound will heal by secondary intention as a result of the dehiscence and that this can take several weeks.
Even minor wound disruption needs to be treated right away to keep it from getting worse. An open wound is easily infected, and infection can lead to further separation. Complete wound dehiscence is a medical emergency, as it can lead to evisceration, where internal organs protrude through the wound.
If associated with superficial wound dehiscence, they can be treated by absorbent dressings such as alginate dressing. Fluid should be sent for culture and sensitivity, and antibiotics commenced empirically in the presence of systemic features of an infection, as mentioned previously.
Each dehiscence case is unique, but common treatments for severe dehiscence include surgical debridement and re-operation to close the wound. Although minor and moderately dehisced wounds may be effectively treated in an outpatient setting, patients with severely dehisced wounds generally require hospital admittance.
On this page you'll find 16 synonyms, antonyms, and words related to dehisce, such as: cleave, crack, divide, gap, part, and split.
To decrease intra-abdominal pressure and stress on the wound, you place Mr. Anderson supine in the low Fowler's position with his knees slightly bent and cover the wound with a saline-moistened, sterile gauze dressing.
[1] Superficial dehiscence is when the wound edges begin to separate and by increased bleeding or drainage at the site. The clinician should investigate the wound for worrisome signs, including infection or necrosis.
Dehiscence is secondary to technical failure of sutures, shear forces from tension, or fascial necrosis from infection and/or ischemia (2). Evisceration is the uncontrolled exteriorization of intraabdominal contents through the dehisced surgical wound outside of the abdominal cavity.
Wound dehiscence can be painful, but more often it creates frustration and annoyance that the wound is not healing properly. Many factors can lead to wound dehiscence including: movement that causes stitches to open.
Wound reopening: If sutures are removed too early, or if excessive force is applied to the wound area, the wound can reopen. The doctor may restitch the wound or allow the wound to close by itself naturally to lessen the chances of infection.
Once the wound has formed a scab, there is no longer the need to cover it with a bandage as the scab now acts as a protective barrier. Keep the area clean, but be gentle so that you do not accidentally remove the scab.
Abstract. a retrospective review of 18,120 abdominal procedures produced 70 patients who developed abdominal wound dehiscence and/or evisceration. Our mortality rate of 5.5% was considerably lower than the previously reported high mortality rates in patients with these complications.
Risk factors for dehiscence and evisceration include age, diabetes, obesity, malnutrition, corticosteroid therapy, and sepsis. Wound infection is directly associated with over 50% of eviscerations [1]. Surgical technique can contribute to wound dehiscence.
noun. Biology. the release of materials by the splitting open of an organ or tissue. Botany. the natural bursting open of capsules, fruits, anthers, etc., for the discharge of their contents.
It isn't possible to pull the edges of the skin together to make them meet, so the wound is left to fill in on its own. This process of wound filling is called granulation, and the amount of granulation that has to take place in a wider, more open wound is greatly increased.
adjective. (of fruits, anthers, etc) opening spontaneously to release seeds or pollen.
Symptoms of wound dehiscence
Pain. Feeling of pulling or ripping like something popped. Drainage or bleeding from the wound, most often a clear to pink fluid. Signs of wound infection such as fever, redness, swelling, bad smelling discharge, or chills.