Management of skin and subcutaneous tissue in complex open abdominal wall reconstruction

Purpose: Open abdominal wall reconstruction is often a complex endeavor, usually performed on patients with multiple risk factors and co-morbidities. Methods: In this article, we review soft tissue management techniques that can optimize the skin and subcutaneous tissue, with the goal of reducing surgical-site occurrences. Results: Regardless of the hernia repair technique used, outcomes can be highly dependent on the appropriate management of the skin and subcutaneous tissue. Indeed, dehiscence and surgical-site infection can jeopardize the entire reconstruction, especially in cases where synthetic mesh might become exposed and/or infected, setting up a “vicious cycle” (Holihan et al. in J Am Coll Surg 221:478–485, 2015). Conclusion: Multidisciplinary cooperation between the general and plastic surgeon is useful in cases of tenuous blood supply to the abdominal skin, in cases of redundant, marginal or excessive skin, and in cases of deficient skin.