Incisional Negative Pressure Wound Therapy in Patients Undergoing Spine Surgery

Introduction: Posterior post-operative spine wounds involving surgery at multiple levels are known to have higher rates of wound complications relative to other areas of the body. Instrumentation, repeat surgery and prior radiation all contribute to more hostile environments for wound healing. The purpose of this study is to determine whether incisional vacuum dressings can help improve the healing/complication rates associated with these wounds. Methods: Patients will be recruited over a two year span as part of the initial pilot study to determine the capabilities/practicality of recruitment locally. Patients will be followed in and out of hospital for 3 months or until the wound has healed clinically. The primary outcome, surgical site infection (SSI), will be evaluated using prior Centre for Disease Control (CDC) definitions. STATA will be used for statistical analysis. Anticipated results: Although the incisional vacuum system (PrevenaTM) has been used previously for spine wounds, there are no randomized control trials compared with standard dressings. Since the infection rate in these wounds has been founds previously to be quite high (10-25%) a reduction could have profound significant benefits on patient morbidity and overall costs to the healthcare system. The pilot study will help inform the direction of a larger, potentially multi-centered trial. Conclusion: If a large treatment effect is demonstrated with the PrevenaTM System then this could potentially change the standard of care for complex spine wounds.