A new technique to close open abdomen using negative pressure therapy and elastic gums

‘‘Open abdomen’’ is a routine surgical procedure in patients presenting with abdominal compartment syndrome, polytrauma requiring a second look and abdominal sepsis. In these cases, free access to the abdominal cavity may be necessary to drain fluid collections or to solve postoperative complications [1–3]. Several techniques for temporary abdominal closure have been described in the literature, but we observe a lack of experience as regards definitive closure techniques [4]. Here we present a kit which combines the use of a mesh, negative pressure therapy and elastic gums to attain definitive closure of the open abdomen in patients requiring a previous temporary closure and in whom it is impossible to accomplish primary closure of abdominal fascia, subcutaneous tissue and skin.