An interventional study of Vacuum-Assisted Closure (VAC) Therapy and Graduated Primary Skin Closure in Abdominal Wound Dehiscence, Burst Abdomen and Surgical Wound Dehiscence, sponsored by Assiut University. Not yet recruiting. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-09-01.
Sponsored by Assiut University · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment
Burst abdomen, or complete abdominal wound dehiscence, is a severe postoperative complication characterized by the separation of the musculo-aponeurotic layer of the abdominal wall. It leads to extended hospital stays, high treatment costs, and an increased risk of long-term incisional hernia. While negative pressure wound therapy using vacuum-assisted closure (VAC) is widely utilized, graduated (staged) primary skin closure remains a common, accessible bedside alternative. Direct randomized comparative evidence evaluating these two approaches for established burst abdomen is limited.
The main objective of this study is to compare the clinical effectiveness and safety of vacuum-assisted closure (VAC) versus graduated primary skin closure in the management of postoperative burst abdomen.
Participants will be randomly assigned (1:1) to one of two groups:
The primary outcome of the study is the time to achieve complete fascial and cutaneous wound closure. Secondary outcomes include total length of hospital stay, incidence of surgical site infections, pain scores during procedures, wound recurrence, and incisional hernia formation during follow-up.
48 studies on the registry are indexed under Surgical Wound Dehiscence; 14 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 50 is below the median of 78 across 37 interventional studies indexed under Surgical Wound Dehiscence.
Browse Surgical Wound Dehiscence studies →Assiut University is the lead sponsor of 5,078 studies on the registry; 2,178 are open to participants now.
Of its 14 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 0 (0%) have results posted.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
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Exclusion Criteria:
Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
An allergy, or another reaction of the immune system, to a substance. “Hypersensitivity to the study drug” means a known allergic reaction to it — not every side effect a medicine can have.
Malignancy means cancer. Criteria about another or earlier malignancy ask whether you have had a different cancer, usually within a set number of years.
Some are commonly allowed, such as treated skin cancers other than melanoma and early cancers removed completely — check the exceptions this study lists.
Informed consent
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Hypersensitivity
An allergy, or another reaction of the immune system, to a substance. “Hypersensitivity to the study drug” means a known allergic reaction to it — not every side effect a medicine can have.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Cancer (malignancy)
Malignancy means cancer. Criteria about another or earlier malignancy ask whether you have had a different cancer, usually within a set number of years.
Some are commonly allowed, such as treated skin cancers other than melanoma and early cancers removed completely — check the exceptions this study lists.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Participants in this arm receive negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) using an open-cell polyurethane foam dressing, fenestrated adhesive drape, and continuous sub-atmospheric pressure standardized between -75 and -125 mmHg. A non-adherent protective layer is interposed over exposed bowel loops. Dressing changes and wound assessments are performed under aseptic technique every 48 to 72 hours until sufficient granulation tissue forms to permit secondary suturing or delayed primary closure.
Procedure: Vacuum-Assisted Closure (VAC) Therapy
Participants in this arm undergo bedside staged/graduated primary wound closure using full-thickness interrupted monofilament retention sutures with bolsters/bridges across the abdominal wall under local anesthesia. Sutures are progressively approximated and tightened in sequential sessions every 48 to 72 hours (mirroring the dressing change interval) to avoid tension-related tissue ischemia until complete fascial and skin apposition is achieved.
Procedure: Graduated Primary Skin Closure
Under aseptic technique, non-viable tissue is debrided and the wound irrigated with normal saline. An open-cell polyurethane foam is trimmed to fit the wound cavity (with a non-adherent protective layer over exposed bowel), sealed with an adhesive drape, and connected to continuous sub-atmospheric pressure (-75 to -125 mmHg). Dressing changes and assessments are conducted every 48 to 72 hours until sufficient granulation tissue permits definitive closure.
Full-thickness interrupted retention monofilament sutures with protective bolsters/bridges are placed across the abdominal wall under local anesthesia at the bedside. Sutures are progressively tightened and approximated in sequential sessions every 48 to 72 hours to minimize tissue ischemia and tension until complete fascial and cutaneous apposition is achieved.
Time to Complete Wound Closure
Measured as the number of days elapsed from the date of randomization until complete fascial and skin apposition of the abdominal wound is achieved, verified by clinical examination.
Time frame: 30 days
No study locations are listed for this record.
Start is estimated for Oct 2026; primary completion for Oct 2027, 12 months later.
Of 15 interventional studies with no phase under Surgical Wound Dehiscence, half reached primary completion within 21 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 17 and three quarters within 32. This study's planned 12 months is below that.
How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.
This study is not yet recruiting, as verified in Aug 2026. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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