Facteurs nutritionnels associes a la cicatrisation cutanée postopératoire normale chez les adultes de 18 à 60 ans hospitalises dans le département de chirurgie de l’hôpital militaire de Kamenge, Burundi, 2025-2026

Abstract

Introduction: Postoperative wound healing represents a major clinical challenge in surgical departments, particularly in the context of resource-limited countries where hospital undernutrition is common. In Burundi, data on factors associated with wound healing after surgery remain insufficient, and perioperative nutritional protocols are not formalized. The objective of our study was to identify the factors associated with normal postoperative skin healing in patients aged 18 to 60 years hospitalized in the surgery department at the Kamenge Military Hospital. Methodology: This is an analytical prospective observational study carried out from November 1, 2025 to January 31, 2026 on 56 adult patients operated at the Kamenge Military Hospital (HMK), recruited by exhaustive sampling. Sociodemographic, socioeconomic, anthropometric, biological, surgical, dietary, and patient-related factors were collected using a structured sheet. The statistical analysis was performed with Stata version 15 software and included descriptive analysis, bivariate analysis by simple logistic regression, and multivariate analysis by multiple logistic regression with backward top-down selection, the performance of which was assessed by the ROC curve. Associations were estimated using the Odds Ratio (OR) and its 95% confidence interval. Variables with a value of p < 0.20 in bivariate analysis were included in the multivariate analysis, and those with p < 0.05 were considered to be significantly associated with normal postoperative skin healing. Results: Out of 56 patients, 66.07% had normal postoperative skin healing. Multivariate analysis identified four factors statistically associated with normal postoperative skin healing: serum albumin level (patients with hypoalbuminemia were 97% less likely to achieve normal postoperative skin healing with an OR = 0.03; 95% CI: [0.002–0.55]; p = 0.018) as well as those with inflammation (ORa = 0.03; 95% CI: [0.002–0.57]; p = 0.019), regular consumption of selenium source foods (OR a = 10; 95% CI: [1.76–59.3]; p = 0.010), young age (18–29 years: ORa = 36; 95% CI: [1.59–814]; p = 0.024) and major surgery (ORa = 0.01; 95% CI: [0.009–0.3]; p = 0.008). Conclusion: Our results confirm the need to integrate systematic nutritional screening and individualized perioperative nutritional prescription enriched with proteins and micronutrients essential for postoperative skin healing into surgical care protocols in Burundi.