Secondary closure of infected abdominal incisions in cattle and horses.

This research studied the implementation of secondary suturing to close infected abdominal incisions in cattle and horses, resulting in improved healing in most cases.

Methodology

• The study involved 7 cattle and 3 horses with infected abdominal incisions.
• The infected wounds were resutured using monofilamentous stainless steel retention sutures after the infected and devitalized tissue had been removed through a process called debridement.
• The wound edges were closed using either simple interrupted vertical mattress sutures (in 5 cattle and 3 horses) or horizontal mattress sutures (in 2 cattle), penetrating all layers of the body wall.
• Spacing of 2 to 3 cm was maintained between sutures placed over rubber tubing, with a distance of 3 to 5 cm kept from the wound edges.
• In half of the operations, the skin and subcutaneous tissue were left unsutured.
• The surgically repaired wounds were then supported with an encircling elastic roll bandage and sterile compresses.

Post-Operative Care and Results

• Following the secondary closure, animals were kept in a box stall for about 60 days.
• The steel sutures and rubber tubes were removed tentatively 14 to 21 days after placement once they stopped providing necessary support.
• Complications included superficial wound infection and local pressure necrosis from the suturing, but these issues were resolved with additional surgical or medical treatment, further debridement, or irrigation of the wound with dilute povidone-iodine solution.
• Ultimately, 7 out of 10 animals experienced cosmetic and functional healing from the secondary wound closure procedure.

Conclusions

• The study indicates that secondary closure of infected abdominal incisions in cattle and horses can be effective, enhancing both cosmetic and functional healing.
• The approach involves careful debridement, use of specialized monofilamentous stainless steel retention sutures, and post-operative care that may require further medical intervention in case of complications.
• The results suggest that this method could potentially be used to manage similar cases of infected abdominal incisions in other animals, though further studies will be needed to determine the transferability of these findings.