The Effectiveness of Amniotic Membrane Versus Classic Wound Dressing in Wound Healing Following Cesarean Delivery in Overweight and Obese Patients

Background & Objective: Surgical site infections (SSIs), the most common infection associated with medical treatment following surgery, can result in severe morbidity and mortality, transfer to an intensive care unit, prolonged hospital stays, and readmissions to the hospital. To compare between the usages of autologous amniotic membrane as an accelerator for wound healing versus the classic wound dressing to prevent surgical site infection following cesarean delivery in predisposed patients. Materials & Methods: This prospective, double-blind, randomized clinical trial was carried out at the tertiary care hospital at Ain Shams University hospitals from August 2022 to July 2024 with written consent from the patients and approval from the ethical committee. It involved 240 patients who had elective caesarean sections and met the following inclusion criteria. Results: Age, BMI, previous cesarean section, gestational section, and length of operation did not differ statistically significantly among the groups under study. REEDA score was significantly lower in the amniotic membrane group. Surgical site infection was significantly less frequent in the amniotic membrane group. Wound dehiscence was significantly less frequent in the amniotic membrane group. The need for re-admission was non-significantly less frequent in the amniotic membrane group. Further need for additional antibiotics was significantly less frequent in the amniotic membrane group. Conclusion: Autologous amniotic membrane appears to have significant benefits in wound healing after cesarean birth in overweight and obese individuals, especially in lowering infection rates, inflammation, and the need for extra medications. However, the impact on wound dehiscence, re-admission rates, and hospital stay duration was less clear.