Effect of primary closure of subcutaneous cellular tissue on the incidence of seromas in laparotomy wounds

Background: To compare the effect of primary subcutaneous cellular tissue (SCT) closure on the incidence of seromas in midline laparotomy wounds.Methods: A cross-sectional study was designed.Patients undergoing midline laparotomy during the study period were included.Patient characteristics and closure techniques were recorded.A 30-day post-operative follow-up was included.Results: 83 patients underwent midline laparotomy abdominal surgery during the study period.38.1% (n 16/42) of patients with only skin closure developed post-operative seromas versus 12.2% (n 5/41) of patients with skin and SCT closure, with an odds ratio of 0.22 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.07-0.69,p = 0.009).Surgical site infection was 11.9% and 22%, respectively.Conclusions: SCT closure helps decrease post-operative seroma.Despite methodological limitations, this study lays the groundwork for future research with more rigorous methodologies that allow for longitudinal analysis and the confirmation of cause and effect.