Impact of surgical wound dehiscence on health-related quality of life and mental health

Objective: To assess the impact of surgical wound dehiscence on health-related quality of life and mental health. Dehiscence of surgical wounds is a serious postoperative complication associated with high morbidity and mortality. Method: Sixty-one adult patients, who had undergone neurological, general, colorectal, orthopaedic, gynaecological, plastic, cardiovascular, urological or neurological surgery in a university hospital in Brazil, were assessed between 30 and 180 days after surgery. Twenty participants who achieved complete wound healing were allocated to the control group and 41 participants who developed surgical wound dehiscence were allocated to the dehiscence group. Patients unable to complete the questionnaires because of cognitive impairment and those who declined to participate or died were excluded from the study. Data were collected using a questionnaire assessing sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of participants; the Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36); and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Results: Surgical wound dehiscences were 0.5-30 cm in length, 0.5-7 cm in depth, and located in the arms, legs or trunk. There were significant between-group differences in mean scores on the physical functioning (p<0.01), role physical (p<0.01), social functioning (p= 0.01), and bodily pain (p = 0.01) dimensions of the SF-36. Participants with wound dehiscence reported significantly higher BDI scores (more depressive symptoms) than controls (p = 0.01). Conclusion: Surgical wound dehiscence had a negative impact on the physical functioning, role physical, social functioning, and bodily pain dimensions of health-related quality of life and on mental health. Declaration of interest: No conflict of interest to declare.