Left colon primary suture

Abstract

This work was carried out to evaluate the behavior of primary suture in left colon injury in relation to the time of the injury. Thirty-six male young guinea pig, divided in three groups, A, B and C, were used. It was made only one incision in the left colon, without previous preparation, in the longitudinal direction of the colon. Then, a primary suture was made, antibiotic therapy was applied, and the abdominal cavity was washed with physiologic solution. The time between the incision and the primary suture was different in each group. In the group A the primary suture was made immediately after the injury. In the group B it was made 3 hours after the injury. And in the group C it was made 6 hours after the injury. In the seventh day after the surgery the animals were sacrificed and subjected to necropsy, and the complications of the surgery were analyzed. The animals that died before the seventh day of the sugery were subjected to necropsy in the first 12 hours after death. Some incidents were analyzed in the necropsy, such as dehiscence of the suture, abscess of abdominal wall, peritonitis, adherences, intra cavity abscess, intestinal obstruction and gain or loss of weight.  The complications and survival of the animals endergone primary suture of the left colon without preparation were related to several factors, and one of them was the time between the injury and the primary suture.