Wound infections after abdominal surgery for gynecological cancer

Year 2025, Volume: 39 Issue: 4, 265 - 278, 30.10.2025

Celal Akdemir

https://doi.org/10.18614/dehm.1813837

Abstract

BACKGROUND
The objective of the present study was to ascertain the incidence of post-laparotomy wound infection and the principal risk factors associated with it. The study focused on a group of patients who had undergone gynaecological cancer surgery.
METHODS
In this retrospective cohort study, the data of 264 patients who underwent surgical procedures for gynaecological cancer between 15/10/2023 and 15/10/2024 in the Gynaecological Oncology Clinic of Izmir City Hospital were analysed. The demographic, operative, and clinical characteristics of patients with and without wound infection were compared.
RESULTS
The infection rate of the surgical wound was found to be 11.4% in the patient population who underwent laparotomy for gynaecological malignancy. The risk of wound infection was found to be approximately 14 times higher in patients receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy (OR = 13.719; p < 0.001) and 6 times higher in patients requiring transfusion (OR = 6.282; p = 0.004). Furthermore, the probability of infection was found to increase with each 1 cm increase in incision length and depth (length OR = 1.196; p = 0.021; depth OR = 1.516; p = 0.005).
CONCLUSION
The most significant factors associated with the development of wound infection were identified as neoadjuvant chemotherapy and transfusion requirement. The main finding of our study was that incision depth and length were considered as risk factors for wound site infections following abdominal gynaecological malignancy surgeries.

Keywords

Cancer surgery , incision length , laparotomy , neoadjuvant chemotherapy , wound complication

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