A Bogota bag is a sterile plastic bag used for closure of abdominal wounds. It is generally a sterilized, 3 litre genitourinary irrigation bag that is sewn to the skin or fascia of the anterior abdominal wall. Its use was first described by Oswaldo Borraez while a resident in Bogota, Colombia.
Temporary abdominal closure techniques are used to postpone definite closure until predisposing factors causing pathologic elevation of intra abdominal pressure are resolved. These techniques include the Bogota bag, absorbable mesh, vacuum pack dressings, the Wittmann patch or velcro burr and the KCI VAC or Abthera dressings.
These temporary abdominal closure techniques are most commonly used in cases of abdominal compartment syndrome in which decompressive laparotomy is necessary to reduce intra abdominal pressure to restore system perfusion.
Regardless of the technique used, they are characterized by a tension free closure. In addition, the Bogota bag acts as a hermetic barrier that avoids evisceration and loss of fluids. Another advantage to the Bogota bag, is that the abdominal contents can be visually inspected which is particularly useful in cases of ischemic bowel.
The bogota bag can be used in cases of 'burst abdomen' following laparotomies, especially those using a midline horizontal incision. Burst abdomen is usually characterized by a serosanguinous pink discharge from the wound, 6–8 days after surgery
One alternative to the Bogota bag temporarity abdominal closure is the artificial burr temporary abdominal closure (also known as a Wittmann Patch). The artificial burr closure adds continuous tension on the fascial edges as a benefit to those of the Bogota bag.