Demographic and Clinical Characteristics of Patients
The demographic and clinical characteristics of the study population are summarized in Table 1. The majority of the patients were young males (mean age 25.52 years) with a mean BMI of 22.36 Kg/m². The most common mechanisms of injury were gunshot wounds (57.5%) and non-IED blast injuries (41.67%). The Injury Severity Score (ISS) indicated that a significant proportion of patients sustained moderate to severe injuries.
Table 1. Demographic and Clinical Characteristics of the Study Population
Variable
|
Category
|
Frequency
|
Percentage
|
Age (years)
|
Mean ± SD
|
25.52 ± 4.42
|
|
BMI (Kg/m²)
|
Mean ± SD
|
22.36 ± 17.89
|
|
Injury Severity Score
|
Mean ± SD
|
14.60 ± 5.22
|
|
Sex
|
|
|
|
Male
|
Yes
|
120
|
100.00%
|
Injury Mechanism
|
|
|
|
GSW
|
Yes
|
69
|
57.50%
|
Non-IED Blast (shrapnel)
|
Yes
|
50
|
41.67%
|
IED Blast
|
Yes
|
1
|
0.83%
|
Injury Severity Class
|
|
|
|
Moderate (10-15)
|
Yes
|
57
|
47.5
|
Severe (16-25)
|
Yes
|
43
|
35.83
|
Minor (0-9)
|
Yes
|
18
|
15
|
Critical (≥26)
|
Yes
|
2
|
1.67
|
PRBC units within 24 hrs post-injury
|
Mean ± SD
|
1.79 ± 1.31
|
|
Associated body injury
|
|
|
|
Yes
|
|
59
|
49.17
|
Other associated injury
|
|
|
|
Extremity wounds or pelvic girdle
|
Yes
|
42
|
35
|
Chest wounds
|
Yes
|
24
|
20
|
Head/Neck wounds
|
Yes
|
1
|
0.83
|
Abbreviations: SD, Standard Deviation; BMI, Body Mass Index; GSW, Gunshot Wound; IED, Improvised Explosive Device; PRBC, Packed Red Blood Cells.
Intraoperative Findings
Intraoperative findings revealed a high prevalence of hollow viscus injuries (73.33%) among the patients, indicating the severity of the trauma. Colorectal injuries were present in 47.5% of patients, and solid organ injuries were observed in 27.5% of cases. A small percentage (4.17%) of patients had no significant intraoperative injuries (Table 2). These findings underscore the complex nature of the injuries sustained and the necessity for thorough surgical exploration.
Table 2. Intraoperative Findings Among the Study Population
Variable
|
Frequency
|
Percentage
|
Time from injury to operation (hrs) (Median (Range))
|
10 (5-72)
|
|
Surgical approach
|
|
|
Exploratory laparotomy
|
119
|
99.17%
|
Damage control surgery
|
1
|
0.83%
|
Indications for surgery
|
|
|
CT findings of intra-abdominal injury
|
114
|
95%
|
Positive FAST exam
|
113
|
94.17%
|
Hemodynamic instability
|
8
|
6.67%
|
Peritonitis on physical examination
|
4
|
3.33%
|
Injury Findings
|
|
|
Hollow Viscus Injury
|
88
|
73.33%
|
Colorectal Injury
|
57
|
47.5%
|
Solid Organ Injury
|
33
|
27.5%
|
Negative finding
|
5
|
4.17%
|
Specific Organ Injuries
|
|
|
Small Bowel Injury
|
66
|
55%
|
Colon Injury
|
60
|
50%
|
Gastric Injury
|
14
|
11.67%
|
Rectum Injury
|
10
|
8.33%
|
Diaphragm Injury
|
9
|
7.5%
|
Spleen Injury
|
6
|
5%
|
Kidney Injury
|
6
|
5%
|
Liver Injury
|
5
|
4.17%
|
Bladder Injury
|
4
|
3.33%
|
Retroperitoneal Hematoma Injury
|
3
|
2.5%
|
Pancreas Injury
|
2
|
1.67%
|
Biliary Tree Injury
|
2
|
1.67%
|
Abdominal Vascular Injury
|
2
|
1.67%
|
Surgical Procedures
|
|
|
Primary repair of small bowel
|
64
|
53.33%
|
Primary repair of colon injury with proximal colostomy
|
25
|
20.83%
|
Primary repair of colon injury
|
20
|
16.67%
|
Resection and anastomosis of bowel injury with proximal ileostomy
|
14
|
11.67%
|
Primary repair of stomach
|
14
|
11.67%
|
Rectal injury repair with diverting loop colostomy
|
10
|
8.33%
|
Repair of diaphragmatic tear
|
9
|
7.5%
|
Resection of small bowel with primary anastomosis
|
7
|
5.83%
|
Hepatorraphy
|
5
|
4.17%
|
Renorraphy
|
5
|
4.17%
|
Splenectomy
|
4
|
3.33%
|
Repair of urinary bladder rupture
|
4
|
3.33%
|
Resection and anastomosis of colon
|
3
|
2.5%
|
Distal pancreatectomy
|
2
|
1.67%
|
Spelenorraphy
|
2
|
1.67%
|
Nephrectomy
|
1
|
0.83%
|
Stoma creation
|
49
|
40.83%
|
Operative duration (min) Mean ± SD
|
170.76 ± 46.19
|
|
Abbreviations: hrs, hours; CT, Computed Tomography; FAST, Focused Assessment with Sonography for Trauma; SD, Standard Deviation; min, minutes.
Postoperative Complications
Table 3 outlines the postoperative complications observed in the study population. Notably, over half of the patients (56.67%) developed surgical site infections (SSIs). Other significant complications included anastomotic leaks (13.33%), wound dehiscence (12.5%), and septicemia (30%). These complications contributed to longer ICU admissions and hospital stays, highlighting the severe impact of SSIs on patient outcomes.
Table 3. Postoperative Complications Among the Study Population
Variable
|
Frequency
|
Percentage
|
Postoperative complications
|
68
|
56.67%
|
Surgical site infection (SSI)
|
68
|
56.67%
|
Anastomotic leak
|
16
|
13.33%
|
Bile leak
|
2
|
1.67%
|
Wound dehiscence / Burst abdomen
|
15
|
12.5%
|
Enterocutaneous fistula
|
18
|
15%
|
Pancreatic fistula
|
2
|
1.67%
|
Paralytic ileus
|
20
|
16.67%
|
Septicemia
|
36
|
30%
|
Reoperation
|
24
|
20%
|
Length of ICU admission (days)
|
Mean ± SD
|
2.13 ± 1.11
|
Length of hospital stay (days)
|
Mean ± SD
|
8.56 ± 3.49
|
Abbreviations: SSI, Surgical Site Infection; ICU, Intensive Care Unit; SD, Standard Deviation.
Incidence and Management of SSIs
The incidence of SSIs was significant, with 56.67% of patients developing infections. Organ/space SSIs were the most common type, followed by superficial and deep incisional SSIs (Table 4). Management strategies varied, with conservative treatment being the most common approach.
Table 4. Incidence of SSIs and Management Strategies
Variable
|
Frequency
|
Percentage
|
Average days to develop SSI postop (Mean ± SD)
|
3.79 ± 0.61
|
|
Type of SSI
|
|
|
Organ/space SSI
|
26
|
21.67%
|
Superficial incisional SSI
|
22
|
18.33%
|
Deep incisional SSI
|
20
|
16.67%
|
Management received for SSI
|
|
|
Conservative (Dressing and Antibiotic)
|
39
|
32.5%
|
Relaparotomy
|
24
|
20%
|
Debridement
|
9
|
7.5%
|
Suturing
|
6
|
5%
|
Percutaneous drainage
|
2
|
1.67%
|
Abbreviations: SSI, Surgical Site Infection; postop, postoperative; SD, Standard Deviation.
Risk Factors for SSIs
Table 5 presents the relationship between various variables and the development of SSIs. Significant risk factors included hollow viscus injuries, small bowel injuries, and the number of PRBC units received within 24 hours post-injury.
Table 5: Risk Factors Associated with the Development of Surgical Site Infections (SSIs)
Variable
|
SSI (Yes)
|
SSI (No)
|
Total (n=120)
|
p-value
|
Hollow Viscus Injury
|
57 (84%)
|
31 (60%)
|
88 (73%)
|
0.003*
|
Negative Finding (No Injuries)
|
0
|
5 (10%)
|
5 (4%)
|
0.014**
|
Small Bowel Injury
|
43 (63%)
|
23 (44%)
|
66 (55%)
|
0.038*
|
Number of PRBC Units within 24hrs (median, range)
|
2 (0-5)
|
1 (0-3)
|
-
|
<0.001***
|
Serum Albumin Levels (median, range)
|
3.15 (1.4-4.4)
|
3.6 (1.7-4.2)
|
-
|
0.003***
|
Total Number of Exploratory Laparotomies (median, range)
|
1 (1-3)
|
1 (1)
|
-
|
<0.001***
|
Time from Injury to Operation (hrs) (median, range)
|
10 (5-72)
|
9 (6-14)
|
-
|
0.006***
|
Notes: * Significant p-value using chi-square test. ** Significant p-value using Fisher's exact test. *** Significant correlation using Mann-Whitney test.
Abbreviations: SSI, Surgical Site Infection; PRBC, Packed Red Blood Cells; hrs, hours.
Logistic regression analysis identified the number of PRBC units received within 24 hours post-injury as a significant independent risk factor for SSIs. This variable showed an inverse relationship to the likelihood of developing SSIs (OR: 0.490, CI: 0.297-0.808, p = 0.005). This suggests that patients receiving more PRBC units were less likely to develop SSIs, likely due to improved tissue perfusion and oxygenation aiding wound healing.