Abdominal Wall Reconstruction

Advances in trauma management and operative techniques, as well as cutting-edge management of intraabdominal catastrophes lead to enhanced patient survival, but challenging hernias as the sequelae. Hernia surgeons and plastic surgeons are saddled with increasingly complex abdominal wall reconstruction, often for whom there have been multiple prior attempts.1,2 Sometimes, a routine hernia repair can cascade into a complex infected wound and also require innovative methods to repair. Despite applying the best and most advanced techniques for abdominal wall reconstruction, the surgeon may still be faced with devastating postoperative complications. Postoperative complications such as superficial and deep infections, wound dehiscence, and hernia recurrence lead to significant morbidity and mortality in these complex procedures in already high risk patients.3 In this chapter, we will discuss risk factors for and predictors of poor outcomes and ways to manage or minimize them.