Ex vivo comparison of the bursting strength of an equine ventral midline celiotomy covered by two standard abdominal bandages.
Authors: Weatherall Kathleen M, Boone Lindsey H, Munsterman Amelia, Hanson R Reid
Journal: Veterinary surgery : VS
Summary
# Editorial Summary: Abdominal Bandaging and Celiotomy Integrity in Horses Post-operative abdominal support following ventral midline celiotomy is routine practice, yet limited evidence exists regarding the protective efficacy of different bandaging approaches. Weatherall and colleagues conducted an ex vivo study on 18 equine cadavers to compare bursting strength of ventral midline closures under three conditions: no bandage (control), elastic bandage, and inelastic Velcro bandage, using an inflatable bladder model to simulate intra-abdominal pressure until construct failure. Elastic bandages significantly increased maximum bursting pressure compared with unbandaged incisions (P = .004), whereas inelastic bandages showed intermediate performance with no statistically significant difference from either group; however, inelastic bandages generated higher localised subbandage pressure than elastic ones (P = .036). A notable difference emerged in failure location: inelastic bandages shifted failure patterns away from the incision site toward the diaphragm in all six specimens (100%), compared with 50% in the elastic group and only 16.7% in controls, suggesting that rigid compression may redirect rather than mitigate tissue stress. For equine practitioners, these findings support the use of elastic abdominal bandages to enhance celiotomy security during the critical early post-operative period, whilst highlighting that overly rigid support may concentrate pressure unevenly and potentially compromise other abdominal structures rather than providing uniform protection.
Read the full abstract on PubMed
Practical Takeaways
- •Elastic abdominal bandages provide superior support for ventral midline celiotomy incisions by increasing the pressure needed to rupture the repair—consider using elastic bandages post-operatively to protect fresh closures
- •Inelastic (Velcro) bandages create higher localized pressure but may shift failure patterns toward the diaphragm, suggesting they may not be ideal for post-operative support despite their pressure retention
- •Abdominal bandaging does matter: unbandaged incisions fail at significantly lower pressures, so post-operative bandaging is a practical tool to reduce dehiscence risk during recovery
Key Findings
- •Elastic bandages significantly increased maximum bursting pressure compared to no bandage (P = 0.004), suggesting improved incision support
- •Inelastic bandages achieved higher subbandage pressure than elastic bandages (P = 0.036) but did not significantly differ in bursting pressure
- •Inelastic bandages caused diaphragmatic failure in 100% of specimens versus 50% (elastic) and 16.7% (control), indicating altered load distribution