Management Strategies for the Open Abdomen: Survey of the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma Membership

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to report results from a survey of members of the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma (AAST) on strategies for management of the open abdomen. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Invitations to participate in a web-based survey were sent to AAST members via email. MAIN RESULTS: The response rate was 26%. For 74% of surgeons surveyed, the number of cases treated per year has increased over the last 10 years. The abdomen is left open for damage control (46% of respondents) and abdominal organ distention (22%). Most respondents use the vacuum pack system to temporarily close the abdomen (57%) and a smaller proportion use a bogota bag (18%). Ventilatory failure was the most frequent complication (72%) and elderly patients have the worse outcome. SIGNIFICANT CONCLUSIONS: Given the lack of consensus regarding optimal management strategies for the open abdomen, there is a need for prospective, multi-institutional studies to evaluate therapeutic approaches to treat this challenging problem.