Comparison of Lavage Techniques for Preventing Incision Infection Following Posterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion

Incisional Wound Irrigation for the Prevention of Surgical Site Infection: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis

Importance

Surgical site infections (SSIs) are common postoperative complications and associated with significant morbidity, mortality, and costs. Prophylactic intraoperative incisional wound irrigation is used to reduce the risk of SSIs, and there is great variation in the type of irrigation solutions and their use.

Objective

To compare the outcomes of different types of incisional prophylactic intraoperative incisional wound irrigation for the prevention of SSIs in all types of surgery.

Data Sources

PubMed, Embase, CENTRAL, and CINAHL databases were searched up to June 12, 2023.

Study Selection

Included in this study were randomized clinical trials (RCTs) comparing incisional prophylactic intraoperative incisional wound irrigation with no irrigation or comparing irrigation using different types of solutions, with SSI as a reported outcome. Studies investigating intracavity lavage were excluded.

Data Extraction and Synthesis

This systematic review and network meta-analysis is reported in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis statement. Two reviewers independently extracted the data and assessed the risk of bias within individual RCTs using the Cochrane Risk of Bias 2 tool and the certainty of evidence using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation framework. A frequentist network meta-analysis was conducted, and relative risks (RRs) with corresponding 95% CIs were reported.

Main Outcome and Measure

The primary study outcome was SSI.

Results

A total of 1587 articles were identified, of which 41 RCTs were included in the systematic review, with 17 188 patients reporting 1328 SSIs, resulting in an overall incidence of 7.7%. Compared with no irrigation, antiseptic solutions (RR, 0.60; 95% CI, 0.44-0.81; high level of certainty) and antibiotic solutions (RR, 0.46; 95% CI, 0.29-0.73; low level of certainty) were associated with a beneficial reduction in SSIs. Saline irrigation showed no statistically significant difference compared with no irrigation (RR, 0.83; 95% CI, 0.63-1.09; moderate level of certainty).

Conclusions and Relevance

This systematic review and network meta-analysis found high-certainty evidence that prophylactic intraoperative incisional wound irrigation with antiseptic solutions was associated with a reduction in SSIs. It is suggested that the use of antibiotic wound irrigation be avoided due to the inferior certainty of evidence for its outcome and global antimicrobial resistance concerns.

Surgical strategies for spinal infections: A narrative review

The successful operative management of spinal infections necessitates a thoughtful approach. Ideal treatment combines the universal goals of any spine operation, which are decompression of the neural elements and stabilization of instability, with source control and eradication of infection. Techniques to treat infection have evolved independently and alongside advances in implant technology and surgical techniques. This review will seek to outline current thinking on approaches to both primary and secondary spinal infections.

Efficacy and safety of Chinese herbal medicine Wuwei Xiaodu Drink for wound infection: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Wound infection (WI) is a disease in which pathogenic bacteria invade and multiply in a wound after trauma or surgery, causing a systemic inflammatory response. WI triggers an immune response in the body, resulting in inflammation and tissue damage, as well as slowing down the healing process. The traditional Chinese medicine prescription of Wuwei Xiaodu Drink (WWXDD) has been widely used in clinical practice with good results. However, there is no high-level evidence to support this result. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of WWXDD in the treatment of WI.

METHODS

We will search articles in 7 electronic databases including Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang Data (WF), Chinese Scientific Journals Database (VIP), Chinese databases SinoMed (CBM), PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases. All the publications, with no time restrictions, will be searched without any restriction on language and status, the time from the establishment of the database to October 2022. Two reviewers will independently assess the quality of the selected studies, NoteExpress and Excel software will be used to extract data, and the content will be stored in an electronic chart. Different researchers will separately screen the titles and abstracts of records acquired potential eligibility which comes from the electronic databases. Full-text screening and data extraction will be conducted afterward independently. Statistical analysis will be conducted using RevMan 5.4 software (Cochrane Collaboration).

RESULTS

What this study will do is evaluate the efficacy and safety of WWXDD in the treatment of WI in order to provide high quality, evidence-based clinical recommendations.

CONCLUSION

This research provides a trusted clinical foundation for the treatment of WI with WWXDD.

Retrospective Study from a Single Center on the Efficacy of Pulsed Lavage Following Excision of Burns ≥30% of the Total Body Surface Area in 63 Patients

BACKGROUND Ensuring the take rate of skin grafting and reducing the mortality of patients with severe burns have remained big challenges worldwide. This retrospective study from a single center aimed to evaluate the efficacy of pulsed lavage following excision of burns ≥30% of the total body surface area (TBSA) in 63 patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS Among 63 patients, the types of burns sustained were severe burns and extremely severe burns (≥30% TBSA). The degrees of the burns were second degree and third degree, and the causes were thermal, chemical, and electric. Patients with early aggressive excision were divided into a pulsed lavage group and control group. The constituent of the lavage fluid was 0.9% physiological saline. The evaluation of wound healing and complications was based on the wound healing rate and time, clinical symptoms, and examination. We determined the take rate of skin grafting, positive rate of postoperative bacterial cultures, changes in perioperative serum C-reactive protein (CRP) and procalcitonin (PCT) levels, and incidence of secondary grafting. RESULTS The take rate of skin grafting and the decreased rates of perioperative serum CRP and PCT levels were significantly higher in the pulsed lavage group than in the control group (P<0.05). Moreover, the positive rate of wound postoperative bacterial cultures and mortality in the pulsed lavage group showed remarkably lower levels (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS Pulsed lavage following excision of burns ≥30% TBSA increased the take rate of skin grafting, alleviated the positive rate of postoperative bacterial cultures, decreased serum CRP and PCT levels, and reduced mortality.

The Cost-Effectiveness of Normal-Saline Pulsed Lavage for Infection Prophylaxis in Total Joint Arthroplasty

Background

Prosthetic joint infection (PJI) is a well-described complication after total joint arthroplasty which imposes a substantial burden of morbidity and mortality on the individual, as well as cost to the health-care system. This study used a break-even analysis to investigate the cost-effectiveness of pulsed saline lavage (PSL) for PJI prophylaxis after a primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA) and total hip arthroplasty (THA).

Methods

An established model was used to calculate the minimum cost-effective absolute risk reduction of PSL for infection prophylaxis after a total joint arthroplasty. Baseline infection rates of TKA and THA and the cost of a revision surgery for PJI were derived from the literature while the cost of PSL implementation was obtained from institutional data.

Results

PSL is cost-effective at an initial infection rate of 1.10%, revision costs of $32,132 for TKA PJI, and a protocol cost of $38.28 if it reduces infection rates by 0.12% or prevents infection in 1 out of 839 patients. PSL is cost-effective at an initial infection rate of 1.63% and a revision cost of $39,713 for THA PJI if it reduces infection rates by 0.10% or prevents infection in 1 out of 1037 patients. The absolute risk reduction needed for economic viability did not change with varying baseline infection rates and did not exceed 0.38% for infection treatment costs as low as $10,000 and remained less than 0.47% even if PSL cost was as high as $150.

Conclusions

The use of PSL is a cost-effective protocol for PJI prophylaxis after TKAs and THAs.

Irrigation techniques used in spine surgery for surgical site infection prophylaxis: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background

The greater likelihood of morbidity, mortality, length of hospital stays and poorer long-term outcomes as a result of surgical site infections secondary to spinal surgery makes prophylactic measures an imperative focus. Therefore, the aim of this review was to evaluate the available research related to the efficacy of different intraoperative irrigation techniques used in spinal surgery for surgical site infection (SSI) prophylaxis.

Methods

We performed a comprehensive search using Ovid Medline, EMBASE, Web of Science and the Cochrane library pertaining to this topic. Our meta-analysis was conducted according to PRISMA guidelines. The inclusion criteria consist of spine surgeries with intraoperative use of any wound irrigation technique, comparison groups with a different intraoperative irrigation technique or no irrigation, SSI identified with bacterial cultures or clinically in the postoperative period, reported SSI rates. Data extracted from eligible studies included, but was not limited to, SSI rates, irrigation technique and control technique. Exclusion criteria consist of articles with no human subjects, reviews, meta-analyses and case control studies and no details about SSI identification or rates. Pooled risk ratios were calculated. A meta-analysis was performed with a forest plot to determine risk estimates’ heterogeneity with I² index, Q-statistic, and p value under a random-effects model. Funnel plot was used to assess publication bias. All databases were last checked on January, 2022. PROBAST tool was used to assess both risk of bias and applicability concerns.

Results

After reviewing 1494 titles and abstracts, 18 articles met inclusion criteria. They included three prospective randomized-controlled trials, 13 retrospective cohort studies, two prospective cohort studies. There were 54 (1.8%) cases of SSIs in the povidone-iodine irrigation group (N = 2944) compared to 159 (4.6%) in the control group (N = 3408). Using intraoperative povidone-iodine wound irrigation produced an absolute risk reduction of 2.8%. Overall risk ratio was 0.32 (95% CI 0.20–0.53, p < 0.00001). In a global analysis, study heterogeneity and synthesizing mostly retrospective data were primary limitations.

Conclusion

The most evidence exists for povidone-iodine and has Level 2 evidence supporting SSI reduction during spinal surgery. Other antiseptic solutions such as dilute chlorhexidine lack published evidence in this patient population which limits the ability to draw conclusions related to its use in spinal surgery.

Level of Evidence

II – Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12891-022-05763-2.

Does pulsed lavage reduce the risk of surgical site infection? A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Surgical site infections (SSIs) remain a significant and common postoperative complication. Whereas most surgeons use some form of wound irrigation during closure, its impact on SSI rates is debated. Preliminary studies in the use of pressurized irrigation, termed pulsed lavage, may have potential benefit to reduce the risk of SSI.

AIM

To perform a systematic review to identify studies that reported SSI rates following surgery, comparing the use of pulsed lavage to controls, following PRISMA guidelines.

METHODS

All study types and those published up to January 1^st, 2021 were included. Odds ratios (ORs) were calculated for each included study using a Mantel-Haenszel statistical analysis, via a random effects model. A sub-analysis on abdominal procedures only was also performed.

FINDINGS

Eleven studies met the inclusion criteria, covering either orthopaedic or general surgery procedures; 1875 patients were included, with 816 patients in the pulsed lavage group and 1059 patients in the control group. Overall study quality was low. There was a significant reduction in the SSI rate with the use of pulsed lavage (odds ratio (OR): 0.39; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.25-0.62; P < 0.0001). Sub-analysis on abdominal operations only showed further improvement to the SSI rate with pulsed lavage (OR: 0.32; 95% CI: 0.21-0.49; P < 0.0001).

CONCLUSION

Pulsed lavage significantly reduces the rate of SSIs in surgical procedures, the effect being most pronounced in abdominal operations; however, current study quality is low. Randomized controlled trial data are essential to fully assess the potential clinical and financial benefits pulsed lavage can confer to SSI reduction.

Comparison of Minimally Invasive and Open Transforaminal Lumbar Interbody Fusion for Lumbar Disc Herniation: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Background

This cohort study compared the efficacy and safety of minimally invasive versus open transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (Mis-TLIF versus Open-TLIF) for lumbar disc herniation with radiculopathy.

Material/Methods

From July 2016 to September 2017, we recruited 37 patients suffering from lumbar disc herniation with radiculopathy. Seventeen patients underwent Mis-TLIF (Mis group) and 20 patients underwent Open-TLIF (Open group). Baseline characteristics were similar between the 2 groups before surgery. We compared postoperative clinical and radiological outcomes between the 2 groups.

Results

Compared to patients in the Open group, patients in the Mis group has significantly less intraoperative hemorrhage, drainage fluid, time to go, and hospital stay after surgery, but had longer operation times (P<0.05). These 2 groups had similar postoperative hemoglobin reduction and drain removal time. In addition, the postoperative back and leg pain and intervertebral height reduction at 3 months after surgery in the Mis group were remarkably lower than those in the Open group. There was no significant difference in postoperative Oswestry disability index (ODI) or intervertebral height change immediately after surgery and at 1 month postoperatively between the 2 groups.

Conclusions

Mis-TLIF shows some benefits in lumbar disc herniation compared to Open-TLIF in terms of intraoperative hemorrhage, drainage fluid, time to go, hospital stay after surgery, and postoperative back and leg pain.