Patient outcomes
| Outcome | ABTHERA n=84* | Whipstitch closure n=55* | P value |
| Length of stay (LOS)† | 21.0 (21.0) | 15 (18.5) | 0.026 |
| ICU LOS† | 13.0 (18.0) | 7.0 (14.75) | 0.030 |
| Ventilator days† | 7 (13.0) | 5 (9.0) | 0.183 |
| Duration for definitive closure (days)† | 8.0 (20.0) | 2.0 (13.75) | 0.071 |
| Mortality | 18 (21.4) | 15 (27.3) | 0.476 |
| Complication, n (%)‡ | |||
| Bleeding | 25 (27.7) | 10 (21.8) | 0.191 |
| Evisceration | 6 (7.3) | 1 (1.8) | 0.242 |
| Wound dehiscence | 9 (10.8) | 1 (1.8) | 0.063 |
| Reoperations | 7 (8.3) | 3 (5.5) | 0.598 |
*n denotes each application of TAC as a separate event.
†Non-parametric test summarized as median±IQR.
‡Analyses were conducted after adjusting for patient-hours associated with having each temporary abdominal closure method.
ICU, intensive care unit; TAC, temporary abdominal closure.