A Prospective Study Assessing Wound Complications in a Series of Foot and Ankle Patients Treated With Enoxaparin: A Baseline for Future Studies

Abstract

Background and objective Low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) prophylaxis has now become the gold-standard practice in patients requiring lower limb immobilization. We had noticed an increase in the incidence of wound-healing problems at our center, and the severity of the problems was found to be worse in patients undergoing foot and ankle surgery since we had adopted this practice. In this study, we aimed to describe the incidence and severity of wound-healing problems in this group of patients. Methods This was a prospective study and we collected data on the frequency and severity of wound problems occurring in patients undergoing a variety of foot and ankle operations. All patients underwent a standard agreed-on method of wound closure and dressings. Wounds were reviewed after two weeks and wound characteristics were noted using a rigid proforma. The primary outcome measure was to determine the incidence of delayed wound healing (DWH) and wound infections requiring antibiotics. Secondary outcomes were the characteristics of each delayed-healing wound. Results A total of 158 patients met the inclusion criteria of the study. One patient was not given postoperative LMWH and was excluded from the final analysis. Seven patients (4.5%) were noted to have DWH and four patients (2.6%) had a wound infection at the two-week postoperative follow-up. None of the patients required a second operation. Among patients with wound-healing problems, wound contour irregularities were noted in 51% and margin separation was noted in 65%. Conclusion The overall incidence of wound-healing problems such as DWH and wound infections was low in patients receiving prophylactic LMWH for foot and ankle surgery. Where postoperative wound problems did occur, these were associated with poor wound characteristics such as margin separation or contour irregularity. Further studies should be conducted to ascertain if the use of LMWH leads to problems with wound appearance.