Retention sutures were traditionally used to reduce the pressure on
wound margins in wounds requiring strong static tension, ie, wounds
whose edges are retracted by 5 mm or more. But as would be expected,
large sutures traversing the abdominal wall were often associated
with wound complications. Now abdominal wounds requiring undue
tension are often closed with prosthetic mesh and skin
flaps.
Video Resource: Abdominal Wall Defects Following Sepsis and Trauma: Acute Management and Definitive Reconstruction, Timothy C. Fabian M.D., Martin Croce, M.D., William L. Hickerson,M.D., 1993 (VHS 22 minutes) available
from Ciné-Med's
ACS/USSC
Educational Library (General Abdominal)
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