Mass single layer closure of abdominal wounds.

A prospective study to evaluate the technique of mass single layer closure of abdominal wounds is presented. This consists of 616 cases operated upon in one hospital, and includes a large variety of procedures performed in a diverse group of patients, the majority of whom were elderly. Complete wound breakdown occurred in two patients (0.3%) and partial wound breakdown occurred in two patients (0.3%)--a total incidence of 0.6%.