Table 4.

Summary of identified risk factors for SWD

Author	Surgical domain—wound dehiscence and/or wound infection	Variables of significance listed as a risk factor, statistical analysis method used (P value where reported)
McDonald et al. 69	Cardiothoracic surgery—median sternotomy infection and dehiscence	Multivariate analysis: female gender (P = 0·03), obesity (P = 0·002), diabetes (P = 0·01) and prolonged postoperative ventilation (P = 0·006)
Webster et al. 2, *	Abdominal surgery—abdominal wound dehiscence	Logistic regression P < 0·05, COPD (0·002), postgraduate year of surgeon (PGY4) (0·003), operative time (0·013), emergency procedure (<0·0001), clean wound classification (0·0031), superficial wound infection (0·0048), deep wound infection (<0·0001), failure to wean from ventilator (<0·0001) and current pneumonia (0·04)
Baskett et al. 43	Cardiothoracic surgery—surgical wound infection	COPD (0·01)
Borger et al. 70	Cardiothoracic surgery—deep sternal wound infection	Diabetes, male, bilateral internal thoracic artery grafting maybe contraindicated in diabetic patients
Paletta et al. 71	Vascular surgery—leg complications	Multivariate analysis: female gender (0·001) and peripheral vascular disease (0·001)
Ridderstolpe et al. 6	Cardiothoracic surgery—superficial and deep sternal wound complications	Superficial wound complications: univariate with ROC analysis: age ≥ 65 (P = 0·006), age ≥ 75 (P = 0·020), BMI ≥ 30 (P = 0·001), diabetes (P = 0·008), ventilator support (P = 0·008). Deep sternal infections/mediastinitis: BMI ≥ 30 (P = 0·001), diabetes (P = 0·001), smoking (P = 0·001), COPD (P = 0·001), PVD (P = 0·001), reoperation—bleeding (P = 0·08), red blood cells—units (P = 0·02) and ventilator support (P = 0·004)
Salehi Omran et al. 49	Cardiothoracic surgery—superficial and deep sternal wound infection following CABG	Multivariate analysis: female gender (<0·05), preoperative hypertension (<0·05), diabetes (0·05), obesity (0·05), prolonged intubation time (>48 hours) (0·05), re‐exploration for bleeding (<0·05) and hypertension (<0·05)
Schimmer et al. 46	Cardiothoracic surgery—sternal dehiscence and infection	Odds ratio, P value: body mass indices greater than 30 kg/m2 (P = 0·05), New York Heart Association class more than III (P = 0·07), impaired renal function (P = 0·07), peripheral arterial disease (P = 0·001), immunosuppressant state (P = 0·001), sternal closure performed by an assistant doctor (P = 0·004), postoperative bleeding (P = 0·03), transfusion of more than 5 red blood cell units (P = 0·03), re‐exploration for bleeding (P = 0·001) and postoperative delirium (P = 0·01)
Sharma et al. 45	Vascular surgery—leg complications	Forward stepwise logistic regression: female gender (0·008), renal insufficiency (<0·001), diabetes (<0·001), BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2 (<0·001), peripheral vascular disease (0·09) and ICU stay < 72 hours (0·009)
van Ramshorst et al. 1, *	Abdominal surgery—abdominal wound dehiscence	Multivariate stepwise logistic regression with backwards elimination, P < 0·05, age overall P value (0·02), male gender (<0·001), ascites (<0·01), wound infection (<0·001), emergency surgery (0·001), CPD (<0·001), type of surgery overall P value (0·001) and coughing (<0·001)
Floros et al. 44	Cardiothoracic surgery—deep sternal wound infection	Fisher's exact test P value (<0·05), previous cardiac surgery (0·03), BMI ≥ 30 (0·041), left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) ≤ 30 (0·01) and homologous blood usage (<0·01)

BMI, body mass index; CABG, coronary artery bypass graft; SWD, surgical wound dehiscence.

^*Risk tool/prognostic models tested.