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Abstract

Background: Abdominal defects resulting from emergency open abdominal (OA) procedures require complex treatment algorithms and continue to burden both patients and healthcare providers due to increased risk of morbidity and complications. When primary closure of the abdominal subcutaneous and dermal tissues cannot be achieved, negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) is among the most common treatment options. While biologic hernia meshes are often deployed to reinforce the abdominal wall or bridge fascia, the use of biologic grafts to specifically aid granular infill of abdominal defects is less reported.Methods: This retrospective, observational case series (n = 3 abdominal defects) presents the authors' initial experience using a biological graft, ovine forestomach matrix (OFM), with and without NPWT to aid tissue infill of abdominal defects post OA surgery. De-identified data was collated via the electronic medical record and results reported herein. Results:The mean time to 100% graft integration was 19.3 ± 0.9 days with a mean overall healing time of 9 ± 2 weeks, with no complications to a mean follow-up of 50 ± 14 weeks. Concomitant NPWT usage, with weekly NPWT dressing changes had a mean healing time of 3.7 ± 0.9 weeks. Conclusion:These initial findings demonstrated that OFM graft especially when used concomitantly with NPWT is safe and may decrease the overall time to healing of complex abdominal defects resulting from emergency OA surgery.