With published studies, peer-reviewed data, and real-world results backing AbClo’s efficacy at open abdomen management, this article aims to highlight what exactly AbClo offers over alternative methods of fascial traction. In our goal to show these improvements in a reputable and standardized manner, we will be highlighting how AbClo currently helps institutions prevent complications, reduce costs, and elevate care for both patients and providers in line with the Quadruple Aim of Healthcare.
Delivering on the Quadruple Aim of Healthcare
The “Quadruple Aim” framework, originally suggested in 2014, is widely accepted in healthcare for improving system performance. It is an expanded framework from the original Triple Aim in Healthcare as it adds “improving the well-being of healthcare professionals” to the existing Triple Aim outline of enhancing patient experience, improving population health, and reducing costs. AbClo was developed with all four pillars of the Quadruple Aim in mind:
1. Improved Patient Experience
AbClo allows patients to recover healthier and sooner, with fewer complications. AbClo reduces ICU length of stay by up to 50% and cuts down surgical takebacks by 25%, meaning less time under anesthesia and less exposure to post-surgical risks. Being non-invasive, AbClo also helps reduce additional surgical site incisions in the skin and fascia that are commonly found with other, invasive, traction devices.
2. Better Outcomes
With a 98% primary fascial closure rate, AbClo outperforms current standards of care and surpasses those of competitor devices. Faster, more effective closure reduces the risk of complications like entero-cutaneous fistulas or ventral hernias, conditions that lead to longer recovery and higher recurrence rates.
3. Reduced Costs
Failed abdominal closures can cost up to $150,000 more per patient. AbClo prevents those failures in 98% of cases. A published health economic analysis showed cost savings of up to $19,449 per patient, with some institutions like St. Michael’s Hospital reporting savings of up to $40,000 per patient. That translates into an estimated $1.6 million in savings per hospital site.
“We saw positive patient impacts almost immediately… we save considerable hard and soft costs and our physicians enjoyed using the AbClo device.”
– Tasha Osborne, Senior Director, Surgery and Critical Care, St. Michael’s Hospital
4. Enhanced Provider Experience
AbClo simplifies complex cases, enabling faster closure without the need for biologic mesh or component separation. This reduces surgical strain and time in the OR, while making patient management at the bedside possible and more efficient, especially when combined with negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT).
The Numbers That Matter
AbClo’s financial impact goes beyond theoretical savings. Here’s how the device translates to real economic value:
- Up to $19,449 savings per patient in 94% of cases using AbClo & NPWT versus NPWT alone.
- Up to $1.6 million in average savings per trauma centre.
- 50% reduction in ICU stays, dramatically cutting down critical care costs.
- 25% fewer OR takebacks, reducing consumables, physician hours, and patient exposure.
- Reusability on the same patient further reduces material waste and cost per procedure.
- Usage already established in 35+ hospitals and trauma centers.
- When you consider that planned ventral hernia repairs cost the healthcare system nearly $10 billion annually, AbClo’s role in preventing those hernias becomes even more compelling.
Key Clinical Takeaways
- Early application (<24 hours) with AbClo achieves faster closure (3.7 vs. 6.4 days) and fewer OR trips (1.8 vs. 2.4 takebacks).
- No cases of fascial dehiscence when used with NPWT.
- 98% primary closure in peer-reviewed clinical trials vs. 55.6% in the control group.
- AbClo is the only non-invasive traction device available and has been recommended for open abdomen closure by multiple published studies.
Explore AbClo Further
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