Incidence of postoperative wound infections after open tendo Achilles repairs

• Published in: Singapore medical journal 2015-10, Vol.56 (10), p.549-554
• Main Authors: Marican, Mohd Mizan, Fook-Chong, Stephanie Man Chung, Rikhraj, Inderjeet Singh
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Achilles Tendon - surgery; Adult; Aged; Anti-Bacterial Agents - therapeutic use; Body Mass Index; Diabetes Complications; Diabetes Mellitus - pathology; Female; Humans; Incidence; Male; Middle Aged; Original; Postoperative Complications - prevention & control; Retrospective Studies; Rupture - surgery; Surgical Wound Infection - prevention & control; Suture Techniques; Tendon Injuries; Wound Healing
• ISSN: 0037-5675
• DOI: 10.11622/smedj.2015150

Tendo Achilles (TA), which is the confluence of the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles, is one of the most commonly injured tendons. The surgical repair of TA ruptures is associated with a significant risk of infection. This study examined several factors (i.e. gender, age, body mass index, history of diabetes mellitus, steroid use, acute or chronic TA injuries, type of surgical incision and type of sutures used) that may be associated with postoperative wound infection after open TA repair. This was a retrospective study involving 60 patients who underwent open TA repair over an 18-month period. Patients who had prior TA surgery or open TA injuries, or who needed soft tissues flaps were excluded. Among the patients, 7 (11.7%) developed superficial wound infections that were successfully treated with oral antibiotics, while 3 (5.0%) developed deep wound infections that required at least one debridement procedure. No significant association was found between the risk of postoperative wound infection and gender, age, the presence of diabetes mellitus, acute or chronic ruptures, site of surgical incision and type of deep or superficial sutures used. While diabetes mellitus and age did not appear to be associated with postoperative wound infections after open TA repair, obese patients were found to be two times more likely to develop a wound infection than normal-weight patients. The incidence of superficial wound infections in this study was similar to previously published results (11.7% vs. 8.2%-14.6%), but the incidence of deep infections was higher (5% vs. 1%-2%).