Prophylactic Mesh Reinforcement Versus Primary Closure After Emergency Midline Laparotomy (PREEMPT) (PREEMPT)

August 5, 2026 updated by: Andrea Divizia, University of Rome Tor Vergata

PRophylactic mEsh Reinforcement Versus Primary Closure After Emergency Midline Laparotomy (PREEMPT): A Multicenter Randomized Clinical Trial

The PREEMPT trial is a multicenter randomized controlled trial comparing prophylactic onlay biosynthetic mesh reinforcement with primary suture closure in adult patients undergoing emergency midline laparotomy. Participants will be randomized in a 1:1 ratio. The primary endpoint is the incidence of incisional hernia at 1 year. Secondary endpoints include postoperative complications, surgical site occurrences, pain, operative time, hospital stay, morbidity, mortality, quality of life, and long-term hernia incidence.

Study Overview

Status

Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Incisional hernia (IH) is a frequent complication after midline laparotomy, with rates up to 50-70% in high-risk or emergency settings. Emergency procedures are particularly prone to IH due to contamination and suboptimal conditions. Prophylactic mesh reinforcement has been shown to significantly reduce IH rates in elective surgery without increasing wound morbidity, but evidence in emergency settings is scarce. Biosynthetic meshes, with favorable safety and cost profiles in contaminated fields, may offer an effective preventive strategy.

The PREEMPT trial is a multicenter, randomized (1:1) controlled study including adult patients undergoing emergency midline laparotomy. Eligible patients will be randomized to prophylactic onlay biosynthetic mesh reinforcement versus primary suture closure. The primary outcome is the incidence of incisional hernia at 1 year. Secondary outcomes include postoperative complications, surgical site occurrences, pain (VAS), operative time, length of hospital stay, 30-day morbidity and mortality, readmission and reoperation rates, and long-term quality of life (SF-36) and hernia incidence at 2 and 3 years.

The PREEMPT trial is a multicenter randomized clinical trial of patients undergoing emergency laparotomy. We aim to evaluate whether prophylactic bio-synthetic mesh reinforcement could reduce the incidence of incisional hernia in patients undergoing emergency midline laparotomy compared with primary suture closure.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

189

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • Italy
      • Roma, Italy
        • Policlinico di Roma Tor Vergata

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

All adult patients (≥18 years) undergoing emergency midline laparotomy will be eligible for inclusion, without upper age limit, to reflect real-world clinical practice.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Age < 18 years
  • Minimally invasive surgery (laparoscopic or robotic approaches)
  • Elective surgery
  • Surgery requiring an open abdomen and its closure
  • Fecal peritonitis
  • Previous midline laparotomy
  • Pregnancy or breastfeeding
  • Conditions that would impair the possibility of understanding and giving of informed consent.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Prevention
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Double

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Mesh-repair group
Patients randomized to this arm will receive prophylactic onlay placement of a biosynthetic mesh (poly-4-hydroxybutyrate mesh) to reinforce the abdominal wall closure at the time of laparotomy closure, in addition to standard surgical closure. A minimum overlap of 3 cm on all sides of the incision will be ensured. Mesh fixation will be achieved with four sutures placed at the cardinal points only.
Device: Prophylactic Biosynthetic Mesh Placement
A biosynthetic mesh (poly-4-hydroxybutyrate mesh) is placed prophylactically to reinforce abdominal wall closure during laparotomy closure.
Active Comparator: Direct suture group
Patients randomized to this arm will receive standard abdominal wall closure according to European Hernia Society (EHS) guidelines: a slowly absorbable running suture will be used in all centers, employing a continuous small-bites technique. Tissue bites of 5-9 mm from the wound edges will incorporate the aponeurosis only, with stitches placed 5 mm apart to ensure uniform tension distribution, aiming for a suture length to wound length ratio of at least 4:1.
Procedure: Direct suture
Direct fascial suture closure of the abdominal wall after laparotomy without prophylactic mesh reinforcement.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Incidence of incisional hernia at 12 months after laparotomy
Time Frame: 12 months after laparotomy
The primary outcome is the occurrence of incisional hernia within 12 months after laparotomy, assessed by clinical examination and/or imaging according to the study protocol. The incidence of incisional hernia will be compared between patients receiving prophylactic biosynthetic mesh reinforcement and patients undergoing standard abdominal wall closure without mesh.
12 months after laparotomy

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Postoperative complications
Time Frame: Within 30 days after surgery
Postoperative complications will be assessed according to the Clavien-Dindo classification.
Within 30 days after surgery
Incidence of surgical site infection
Time Frame: Within 30 days after surgery
The incidence of surgical site infection (superficial, deep, and organ-space infection) occurring after laparotomy will be evaluated and compared between treatment groups
Within 30 days after surgery
Incidence of surgical site occurrences after emergency laparotomy
Time Frame: Within 30 days after surgery
The incidence of surgical site occurrences (SSO), including surgical site infection, seroma, wound dehiscence, hematoma, and other wound-related complications, will be assessed and compared between treatment groups.
Within 30 days after surgery
Incidence of surgical site occurrences requiring procedural intervention (SSOPI)
Time Frame: Within 30 days after surgery
The incidence of surgical site occurrences requiring procedural intervention (SSOPI) will be assessed. SSOPI include surgical site occurrences requiring invasive treatment, such as wound drainage, percutaneous intervention, surgical debridement, or other procedural management.
Within 30 days after surgery
Incidence of incisional hernia at 2 and 3 years after surgery
Time Frame: At 2 and 3 years after surgery
The long-term incidence of incisional hernia will be assessed at 2 and 3 years after laparotomy and compared between patients receiving prophylactic biosynthetic mesh reinforcement and patients undergoing standard abdominal wall closure without mesh.
At 2 and 3 years after surgery

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Operative time
Time Frame: Intraoperatively
Operative time will be measured from skin incision to completion of skin closure and compared between patients undergoing prophylactic biosynthetic mesh reinforcement and patients undergoing standard abdominal wall closure.
Intraoperatively
Readmission and reoperation rates
Time Frame: Within 30 days after surgery
The rates of unplanned hospital readmission and reoperation after the index surgery will be assessed and compared between treatment groups.
Within 30 days after surgery
30-day postoperative morbidity and mortality
Time Frame: Within 30 days after surgery
Thirty-day postoperative morbidity and mortality will be assessed, including the occurrence of postoperative complications and death within 30 days after the index surgery. Postoperative complications will be recorded and compared between treatment groups.
Within 30 days after surgery
Postoperative pain assessed by Visual Analogue Scale (VAS)
Time Frame: Postoperative days 1, 3, and 5
Postoperative pain will be assessed using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS), a 0-10 scale, where 0 indicates no pain and 10 indicates the worst imaginable pain. Pain scores will be compared between treatment groups.
Postoperative days 1, 3, and 5
Length of hospital stay
Time Frame: Through hospital discharge, up to 30 days after surgery
Length of hospital stay will be measured as the number of days from the date of the index surgery to hospital discharge and will be compared between treatment groups.
Through hospital discharge, up to 30 days after surgery
Quality of life assessed by the Short Form-36 (SF-36) questionnaire
Time Frame: At 12 months after surgery
Quality of life will be assessed using the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36). Scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating better health-related quality of life. Scores will be compared between treatment groups.
At 12 months after surgery

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

University of Rome Tor Vergata

Collaborators

Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS
San Giovanni Addolorata Hospital
Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Policlinico Paolo Giaccone Palermo
San Filippo Neri General Hospital
Cardarelli Hospital, Naples, Italy
Buccheri La Ferla Hospital, Palermo
Santa Maria della Pieta Hospital - Nola

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Andrea Divizia, MD, PhD, UOSD Chirurgia d'Urgenza, Policlinico di Roma Tor Vergata

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

September 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

August 31, 2029

Study Completion (Estimated)

August 31, 2031

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

July 29, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

August 5, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

August 7, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

August 7, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

August 5, 2026

Last Verified

July 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 58.26 CET2 PUD

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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