Effects of Bathing Habits on Postoperative Wound Complications Following Sacrococcygeal Pilonidal Sinus Surgery: A Retrospective Analysis of 67 Adolescent Patients

Introduction. Sacrococcygeal pilonidal sinus disease generally affects young people and impacts their quality of life. Few published studies assessing the characteristics of the disease in the adolescent population exist. Objective. In this paper, the authors aim to evaluate the effects of bathing habits on wound complications in adolescent patients following Karydakis flap surgery for sacrococcygeal pilonidal sinus.Materials and Methods. The medical records of 79 adolescent patients who underwent sacrococcygeal pilonidal sinus surgery between January 2014 and December 2017 at the Surgery Clinic of Malatya State Hospital (Malatya, Turkey) were evaluated retrospectively.Following exclusion, 67 patients were evaluated for demographics, body mass index (BMI), previous abscess formation, bathing frequency,number of sinus pits, and postoperative wound infection and dehiscence. The total follow-up time for the 67 patients was 90 days. Results.The BMIs of patients with previous abscess formation were significantly higher (P =.029). In the cases with abscess, the number of pilonidal sinus pits was significantly higher (P =.039) There was a statistically significant difference between postoperative complication rates according to the number of baths per week. Wound infection rates were found to be higher in patients who bathed more than twice weekly during the 28 days after surgery (P =.005). No statistical significance was observed in complication rates from days 28 to 90 after the surgery between those who bathed twice weekly and more than twice weekly (P >.05). Conclusions. Postoperative wound complications in adolescent patients treated with Karydakis flap surgery for sacrococcygeal pilonidal sinus are more frequent in those who bathe more than twice weekly during the first 28 days postoperatively.