Revisiting Jenkins’ Rule: Evidence-Based Insights on the Suture-to-Wound Length Ratio and Wound Dehiscence
Jideofor Okoye, Ammar M Eskander, Kiranjot Kaur, Beshr Mosa Basha, Osasenaga Bencharles, Shashwat Shetty, Noman Ansari · 2025
Read Revisiting Jenkins’ Rule: Evidence-Based Insights on the Suture-to-Wound Length Ratio and Wound Dehiscence by Jideofor Okoye, Ammar M Eskander, Kiranjot Kaur, Beshr Mosa Basha, Osasenaga Bencharles, Shashwat Shetty, Noman Ansari (2025) in the Tower of Babel, a free online library of public-domain works preserved in clean, searchable text. No sign-up. The full text is served as a plain-text file at a predictable URL, where text is present: https://antarctic-labs.com/tower-of-babel/pmc-12789883.txt.
Description
Jideofor Okoye and six co-authors revisit a classic rule for closing the belly after surgery in a 2025 review. When a surgical wound bursts open, the results can be deadly. Jenkins' rule says the thread used should run at least four times the wound's length, a guide for midline cuts in place for decades.
The review pooled five studies with 1,431 patients. The four-to-one rule held up as a sound baseline. But tight closures, such as emergency surgery in obese patients, did better with five or six to one, while calm, low-tension closures could manage with less. New thread types and fine-bite stitching add flexibility. The authors advise matching the ratio to the wound, the setting, and the patient.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | Jideofor Okoye, Ammar M Eskander, Kiranjot Kaur, Beshr Mosa Basha, Osasenaga Bencharles, Shashwat Shetty, Noman Ansari |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2025 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 18 KB |
| VERSION | 1.0 |
| LICENSE | CC BY 4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |