To investigate the association between cannabis use and postoperative wound morbidity or reoperations in patients undergoing clean abdominal wall reconstruction with mesh, utilizing a propensity score-matched analysis.
Key Findings:
No significant difference in surgical site occurrences (SSO), surgical site infections (SSI), or surgical site occurrences requiring procedural intervention (SSOPI) between cannabis-smokers and non-smokers.
Reoperations were more common in the cannabis-smoker group (8.3% vs 2.8%, p = 0.041), primarily due to major wound complications.
Abdominal wall-specific quality-of-life scores were worse for cannabis-smokers compared to non-smokers.
Interpretation:
Cannabis smoking does not appear to significantly affect wound morbidity in abdominal wall reconstruction, but it is associated with a higher rate of reoperations related to major wound complications, suggesting a need for careful consideration in surgical planning.
Limitations:
Retrospective design may introduce bias and confounding factors; missing data were not addressed in the statistical analysis, potentially impacting the reliability of the results.
Conclusion:
While cannabis smoking does not significantly impact immediate postoperative wound complications, it is linked to increased reoperations, warranting further investigation into its effects on surgical outcomes and implications for clinical practice.
by S. Maskal, J. M. Foreman, R. C. Ellis, S. Phillips, N. Messer, M. Melland-Smith, L. R. A. Beffa, C. C. Petro, A. S. Prabhu, M. J. Rosen, B. T. Miller
