Frequency and Risk Factors of Surgical Site Skin Complications Following Elective General Surgery: A Prospective Observational Study.

Original Article

Abstract

Objective: To determine the incidence of surgical site skin complications after elective general surgery and to identify patient- and surgery-related risk factors for their development.

Methodology: This longitudinal study was conducted in the Department of General Surgery at Reading Hospital Peshawar. between October 2025 and March 2026. We enrolled 100 adult patients undergoing elective general surgical procedures. We used consecutive non-probability sampling to select 100 adult patients undergoing elective general surgical procedures. We collected demographic and clinical data, including BMI, DM, smoking, operative duration, wound type, and wound outcomes. We analyzed the data using SPSS version 27.0 at p<0.05.

Results: Of the 100 patients, 58% were male, and 42% were female, with a mean age of 46.8 ± 13.2 years. Surgical site skin complications occurred in 21 (21%) patients. Superficial surgical site infection was the most common complication (10%), followed by wound erythema (5%), seroma (4%), and wound dehiscence (2%). Complications were significantly associated with higher body mass index (29.1 ± 3.8 vs. 25.7 ± 3.4 kg/m²; p=0.003), diabetes mellitus (p=0.021), operative duration >120 minutes (p=0.012), smoking (p=0.041), and contaminated wounds (p=0.018). Patients with complications had significantly longer hospital stays (7.6 ± 2.4 vs. 4.3 ± 1.5 days; p<0.001).

Conclusion: Approximately one-fifth of elective general surgery patients developed surgical-site skin complications. Obesity, diabetes, prolonged surgery, smoking, and contaminated wounds were key risk factors. Early risk identification and evidence-based perioperative measures may reduce complications and improve outcomes.