Clinical experience of J-VAC drain for skin closure in the laparotomy of obstetrics and gynecology.

AIM: The frequency of wound dehiscence after abdominal surgery has been reported to be approximately 4-29%, and that of surgical site infections is said to be of about 20%. We examined the effectiveness of the subcutaneous J-VAC drain (JVD) in the drainage of bleeding and exudates from surgical wounds. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study was conducted on 192 patients who underwent abdominal surgery from October 2009 to February 2011, and in whom indwelling JVD were placed. During the study period, JVD (10-Fr) were placed subcutaneously on the anterior surface of the fascia in all patients. We examined the frequency of surgical wound complications. RESULTS: A longitudinal incision was used in 101 patients, and a transverse abdominal incision was used in 91 patients. Subjects with a subcutaneous fat thickness of 2 cm or thicker accounted for 115 patients. Subcutaneous hematoma was present in three patients, but only two patients (1%) showed dehiscence that required treatment. CONCLUSIONS: This study revealed that subcutaneous JVD is useful for the closure of surgical incisions in gynecology and obstetrics, and that there are no limitations to their applicability.