ABSTRACT
Abdominal wall closure, including ventral and inguinal hernia repair, is associated with inherent risks and complications. These complications, although associated with low absolute rates, are encountered quite frequently due to the high frequency with which abdominal wall surgeries are performed, and are among the most commonly encountered in general surgery. The complications related to the closure of abdominal wounds can be classified broadly as infectious, acute wound failure, and incisional ventral hernia. The risk factors for developing an abdominal wound infection are similar to surgical site infections elsewhere in the body and include the degree of bacterial wound contamination, length of operation, and patient factors such as diabetes, nutritional state, immune status, and obesity. The diagnosis of ventral hernia includes a mixed group of abdominal wall defects ranging in size and complexity from a small umbilical hernia to a large planned ventral hernia of the open abdomen.
