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

Effect of Pulsed Lavage on Surgical Site Infection in Abdominal Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Objective: To evaluate the effect of pulsed lavage on the risk of surgical site infection in patients undergoing abdominal. Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted in compliance with PRISMA statement standards. We evaluated all studies comparing pulsed lavage and standard practice in patients undergoing abdominal surgery. Surgical site infection was the outcome measure. Random-effects modeling was applied for the analyses. The certainty of the evidence was assessed using the grade system. Results: Five studies including 747 patients were included. The operations in both groups were comparable in terms of elective (RD: 0.00, 95% CI -0.02-0.03, P = 0.85) or emergency setting (RD: -0.00, 95% CI -0.03-0.02, P = 0.85) and open (RD: 0.00, 95% CI -0.02-0.02, P = 0.94) or laparoscopic approach (RD: -0.00, 95% CI -0.02-0.02, P = 0.94). Pulsed lavage was associated with a reduced risk of surgical site infection compared with no pulsed lavage (OR: 0.31, 95% CI 0.20-0.48, P < 0.00001). The between-study heterogeneity was low (I2 = 0%), and the grade certainty was high. The results were consistent through subgroup analysis of randomized controlled trials (OR: 0.28, 95% CI 0.15-0.52, P < 0.0001), observational studies (OR: 0.35, 95% CI 0.19-0.64, P = 0.0007), patients undergoing elective operation (OR: 0.31, 95% CI 0.16-0.62, P = 0.0009), emergency operation (OR: 0.28, 95% CI 0.14-0.58, P = 0.0006), and open operation (OR: 0.30, 95% CI 0.16-0.55, P = 0.0001). Conclusions: Robust evidence suggests that pulsed lavage reduces the risk of surgical site infection in patients undergoing abdominal surgery. We do not hesitate to recommend the routine use of pulsed lavage in abdominal surgery in both emergency and elective settings.

Evaluation of the multiplex PCR combined with capillary electrophoresis technique for detecting pathogenic bacteria and antibiotic resistance genes in bone infections

OBJECTIVE

Orthopedic wound infection is a difficult problem in the clinic. Accurate and rapid microbiological test results are essential for case management, antibiotic therapy, and infection control.

METHODS

We retrospectively evaluated 1285 specimens (puncture fluid, catheter, secretions, joint fluid, lavage fluid, extraction fluid, blood culture, drainage fluid, cerebrospinal fluid, bone, prosthesis tissue, etc.) from 739 patients who received orthopedic diagnosis and treatment, using routine conventional method (RCM)s as a reference method to evaluate the performance of multiplex PCR combined with capillary electrophoresis (mPCR-CE) for detecting pathogens and antibiotic resistance genes associated with bone infection.

RESULTS

Among the 1285 samples analyzed, 1045 samples were consistent with the results of the RCM, with an agreement rate of 81.32%. Among the 155 inconsistent results, 13 (1.01%) were mPCR-CE negative but RCM positive, 142 (11.05%) was mPCR-CE positive but RCM negative. Compared with RCM, mPCR-CE demonstrated positive percentage and negative percentage agreement values of 65.37% and 98.35%, respectively. Moreover, the detection rate of multidrug-resistant bacteria by the mPCR-CE method was generally better than that by the RCM method. The detection rate of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) by the mPCR-CE method is relatively high. The traditional drug-sensitive culture method is more inclined to detect extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs). The mPCR-CE method has obvious advantages in terms of timeliness.

CONCLUSION

This study revealed that mPCR-CE is a new and effective diagnostic method that can significantly reduce the identification time of bacterial identification and drug resistance, and has the potential to improve the management of orthopedic infections.

Pulse Irrigation Reduces Rate of Postoperative Hematoma Following Breast Reduction

PURPOSE

Breast reduction (BR) involves a large surface area of manipulated tissue, increasing the risk of postoperative hematoma. Pulse irrigation (PI) uses a device to deliver intermittent pressurized irrigant intraoperatively. This study aims to evaluate whether the use of PI is associated with reduced incidence of postoperative hematoma after BR.

METHODS

An IRB-approved, retrospective cohort study was performed on all female patients >18 years old who underwent BR at a single academic medical center from 2019 to 2023. Patients operated on by surgeons who performed BR exclusively with or exclusively without PI were excluded. Demographics, surgical details, and postoperative complications were compared using T-tests for independent samples and Pearson chi-square tests of significance (statistical significance set at p<0.05).

RESULTS

A total of 418 patients met inclusion and exclusion criteria: 196 PI patients (46.9%) and 222 (53.1%) non-PI patients. PI patients had differences in race, type of insurance and higher usage of liposuction (all p<0.001). There was a statistically significantly lower hematoma rate in PI patients compared to non-PI patients (0.0% vs. 2.7%, p=0.020). Although not statistically significant, PI patients had lower rates of seroma (1.0% vs. 3.6%, p=0.085) and superficial incisional SSI (1.5% vs. 2.7%, p=0.410) than non-PI patients.

CONCLUSION

Intraoperative use of PI reduces the rate of postoperative hematoma in patients undergoing BR. This finding is hypothesized to be due to provocative disruption of unstable clots which thereby helps to identify sites of tenuous hemostasis so that they can be better cauterized prior to completion of the procedure.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE III

This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .

Wound Irrigation in the Prevention of Surgical Site Infection in Elective Colorectal Surgery: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Background Surgical site infection in colon surgery is associated with significant cost and increased length of hospital stay. Recently, there has been interest in the use of pulsed lavage to reduce the risk of surgical site infection in contaminated wounds. Although increasingly used and gaining popularity, its effectiveness in elective colorectal surgery has been poorly documented. This study aimed to investigate the incidence of surgical site infection within 30 days of elective colorectal surgery in patients who underwent wound irrigation with pulse lavage versus standard closure. Methodology A retrospective study was conducted at a university hospital over a two-year period between January 2020 and December 2021. All adult patients who underwent elective colorectal surgery were eligible for inclusion. Results A total of 222 patients underwent elective colorectal surgery during the study period. Operative procedures included abdominoperineal resections, left and right hemicolectomies, pelvic exenterations, small bowel or large bowel resections, as well as stoma reversals, formations, and refashioning. In total, 76 patients underwent pulse lavage while 146 did not. The total number of surgical site infections was 39 during the study period. Infection rates in the pulse lavage group were 14.47% compared to 19.18% in the standard closure group. The chi-square analysis concluded the difference in infection rates was not statistically significant (p = 0.213). Conclusions The findings demonstrated a difference in infection rates of almost 5% favouring the pulse lavage group; however, it did not reach a statistical difference. Although infection rates were in keeping with those described in the literature, further studies in the form of randomized controlled trials should be performed to determine the benefits, if any, of pulse lavage in colorectal surgery.

The Use of Combined Hip Arthroscopy and Periacetabular Osteotomy for Hip Dysplasia Is Increasing and Has Low Complication Rates

Purpose

To analyze the annual use of hip arthroscopy (HA) and Bernese periacetabular osteotomy (PAO) for the treatment of hip dysplasia (HD), as well as postoperative outcomes, including ipsilateral reoperations.

Methods

International Classification of Diseases, Ninth and Tenth Revision, codes were used to query the PearlDiver Mariner database from January 2010 through January 2022 to identify patients aged 10 to 59 years who had a presenting diagnosis of HD and subsequently underwent (1) HA; (2) PAO; or (3) combined HA and PAO (HA-PAO, defined as PAO on the same day or within 28 days after HA). We analyzed annual rates for each treatment, as well as rates of postoperative emergency visits, readmissions, and 5-year ipsilateral secondary operations (determined via Kaplan-Meier analysis).

Results

There were 32,068 patients who underwent surgical treatment of HD. For HA, PAO, and HA-PAO, there were 29,700, 2,083, and 285 patients, respectively. All operations had the greatest percent-increase from 2015 to 2016. HA and HA-PAO peaked in 2021, whereas PAO peaked in 2019. For HA, PAO, and HA-PAO, most cases were performed in female patients and patients aged 30 to 49 years, 10 to 19 years, and 10 to 29 years, respectively. The 5-year incidence of ipsilateral secondary operations, which include revision HA, PAO, or conversion to total hip arthroplasty, was 9.2% (95% confidence interval 8.6%-9.8%) in the HA group and 6.5% (95% confidence interval 4.1%-8.8%) in the PAO group. Combining HA with PAO resulted in so few secondary operations that Kaplan-Meier analysis was infeasible. The PAO cohort had the greatest 30-day emergency visit and 90-day readmission rates, with infection as the most common cause for readmission.

Conclusions

HA is more frequently performed than PAO for hip dysplasia. HA-PAO is increasing at the greatest rate, demonstrating fewer complications and reoperations.

Level of Evidence

Level III, retrospective comparative trial.

Closed Incision Negative Pressure Therapy to Reduce Surgical Site Infection in High-Risk Gastrointestinal Surgery: A Randomized Controlled Trial

BACKGROUND

Despite institutional perioperative bundles and national infection prevention guidelines, surgical site infection (SSI) after a major abdominal operation remains a significant source of morbidity. Negative pressure therapy (NPT) has revolutionized care for open wounds but the role of closed incision NPT (ciNPT) remains unclear.

STUDY DESIGN

We conducted a multi-institutional randomized controlled trial evaluating SSI after major elective colorectal or hepatopancreatobiliary surgery (Clinical Trial Registration: NCT01905397). Patients were randomized to receive conventional wound care vs ciNPT (Prevena Incision Management System, 3M Health Care, San Antonio, TX). The primary endpoint was postoperative incisional SSI. SSI incidence was evaluated at inpatient days 4 or 5 and again at postoperative day 30. With 144 patients studied, the estimated power was 85% for detecting a difference in SSIs between 17% and 5% (conventional vs ciNPT; 1-sided α = 0.1). Secondary endpoints included SSI type, length of stay, 30-day readmission, and mortality. T-tests were used to compare continuous variables between treatments; similarly, chi-square tests were used to compare categorical variables. A p value of <0.05 was considered significant, except in the primary comparison of incisional and organ SSIs.

RESULTS

During the 2013 to 2021 time period, 164 patients were randomized, and of those, 138 were evaluable (ciNPT n = 63; conventional n = 75). Incisional SSIs occurred in 9 (14%) patients in the ciNPT group and 13 (17%) patients in the conventional group (p = 0.31). Organ or space SSIs occurred in 7 (11%) patients in the ciNPT group and 10 (13%) in the conventional therapy group (p = 0.35).

CONCLUSIONS

In this multi-institutional, randomized controlled trial of patients undergoing colorectal or hepatopancreatobiliary surgery, incidence of incisional SSIs between ciNPT and conventional wound therapy was not statistically significant. Future trials should focus on patient populations undergoing specific procedures types that have the highest risk for SSI.

Effect of wound irrigation on the prevention of surgical site infections: A meta-analysis

We performed a meta-analysis to evaluate the effect of wound irrigation on the prevention of surgical site infections. A systematic literature search up to January 2022 was done and 24 studies included 4967 subjects under surgery at the start of the study; antibiotic irrigation was used with 1372 of them, 1261 were aqueous povidone-iodine irrigation, and 2334 were saline irrigation or no irrigation for surgical site infections prevention in all surgical populations. We calculated the odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) to evaluate the effect of different wound irrigation on the prevention of surgical site infections by the dichotomous method with a random or fixed-influence model. Antibiotic irrigation had significantly lower surgical site infections in all surgical populations (OR, 0.48; 95% CI, 0.36-0.62, P < .001) compared with saline irrigation or no irrigation for the subject under surgery. Aqueous povidone-iodine irrigation had significantly lower surgical site infections in all surgical populations (OR, 0.40; 95% CI, 0.20-0.81, P = .01) compared with saline irrigation or no irrigation for the subject under surgery. Antibiotic irrigation and aqueous povidone-iodine irrigation significantly lowered surgical site infections in all surgical populations compared with saline irrigation or no irrigation for the subject under surgery. Further studies are required.

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.

Surgical site infections: a scoping review on current intraoperative prevention measures

INTRODUCTION

Surgical site infections (SSIs) remain a significant cause of morbidity for surgical patients worldwide and with growing rates of antibiotic resistance, the development of new nonantimicrobial techniques to target SSI reduction is crucial. This review aimed to explore available nonantibiotic intraoperative interventions to reduce the risk of SSI.

METHODS

A literature search was undertaken using Medline, Web of Science, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases. Any study published from 1 January 1980 to 1 September 2021 that described any nonantibiotic intraoperative physical technique aiming to reduce SSI rates, with a primary or secondary outcome of SSI rates, was included.

FINDINGS

A total of 45 articles were included in the final scoping review. The current nonantibiotic intraoperative interventions advised for use include chlorhexidine skin preparation with alcohol, pressurised wound irrigation, Triclosan-coated sutures for skin closure, and negative pressure wound therapy. Many other widely used surgical practices do not have the supporting evidence to validate their routine use in clinical practice to reduce SSI rates.

CONCLUSIONS

We identified several techniques that can be used in the operating theatre to provide additional opportunities to reduce SSI rates. However, strict adherence to current established SSI prevention guidelines remains the mainstay of ensuring SSI rates remain low.

Surgical strategy for treating mycotic aneurysms of thoracic and abdominal aorta and iliac artery: analysis of long-term follow-up data

Mycotic aneurysms of the aorta and iliac arteries are rare, but life-threatening conditions. We reviewed our experience to determine the best surgical strategy. Between 2007 and 2015, we operated 14 patients with mycotic aneurysms of the aortic arch (n  =  6), descending aorta (n  =  1), thoracoabdominal aorta (n  =  2), abdominal aorta (n  =  4), and iliac artery (n  =  1). The mean age was 70.4  ±  8.8 years, and 10 males were included. Blood culture, tissue culture, or both were positive in 11 patients. Four of five patients with mycotic aneurysms of the abdominal aorta and iliac artery underwent extra-anatomical bypass. Ten underwent in-situ graft replacement for managing mycotic aneurysms of the thoracic aorta. One patient with a mycotic thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm underwent visceral bypass of the descending aorta and extra-anatomical bypass. Omental pedicle grafting was performed in 10 patients. The mean follow-up period was 8.6  ±  3.1 years. Three patients (21.4%) died. Recurrent infection was observed in one patient with a mycotic aneurysm of iliac artery three months after the initial surgery. The patient underwent extra-anatomical bypass with omental pedicle grafting as a redo. Nine patients were discharged, and no recurrence of infection was observed. Two patients died of cancer and heart failure. The five- and seven-year survival rates were 100% ± 0.0% and 85.7% ± 13.2%, respectively. A combination of radical debridement of the infectious source and omental pedicle grafting with either in-situ graft replacement or extra-anatomical bypass is an effective strategy.

Enhanced strategy against mediastinitis with thoracic vascular graft infection: A combination of hydro-debridement with pulsed lavage and negative pressure wound therapies

BACKGROUND

We investigated the effects of hydrodebridement with pulsed lavage (HDPL) and negative pressure (NP) wound therapies, instead of excising the prosthetic graft, in patients with postoperative thoracic vascular graft infection (TVGI).

METHODS

Between 2020 and 2021, five TVGI patients aged 49.6 ± 19.4 years old underwent a combined therapy of HDPL and NP. The patients underwent a two-step procedure (first step: re-sternotomy and HDPL; second step: NP) every 3 or 4 days. After negative tissue culture, the patients underwent omentum flap wrapping and skin closure.

RESULTS

No hospital death was observed. The time to skin closure was 10.8 ± 3.4 days. The time to the day in which bacteria were not cultured was 3.5 ± 2.4 days. No recurrent infections occurred for 241 ± 186 postoperative days.

CONCLUSION

Our strategy for TVGI patients may contribute to (1) sufficient infection control, (2) physical rehabilitation, and (3) less invasiveness for high-risk patients.

A combination of hydrodebridement with pulsed lavage and negative pressure wound therapies may enhance outcomes

Deep sternal wound infection (DSWI) with prosthetic graft infection is a rare, though lethal, complication after cardiovascular surgery via median sternotomy. This commentary is a review of a report by Takagi et al. published in the Journal of Cardiac Surgery that reported favorable outcomes in patients with DWSI with prosthetic graft infection treated with an enhanced strategy consisting of hydrodebridement with pulsed lavage and negative pressure wound therapies.

Cryopreservation of autologous bone flaps following decompressive craniectomy: A new method reduced positive cultures without increase in post-cranioplasty infection rate

Introduction

Cranioplasty (CP) after decompressive craniectomy (DC) is a common neurosurgical procedure. Implementation of European Union (EU) directives recommending bacterial cultures before cryopreservation, lead to increased number of autologous bone flaps being discarded due to positive cultures. A new method for handling bone flaps prior to cryopreservation, including the use of pulsed lavage, was developed.

Research question

The aim was to evaluate the effect of a new method on proportion of positive bacterial cultures and surgical site infection (SSI) following CP surgery.

Material and methods

Sixty-one bone flaps from 53 consecutive DC surgery patients were retrospectively included and the study period was divided into before and after method implementation. Patient demographics, laboratory and culture results, type of CP and occurrence of SSI were analyzed.

Results

Twenty-six and 18 bone flaps were available for analysis during the first and second period, respectively. The proportion of positive bacterial cultures was higher in the first period compared to the second (n ​= ​9(35%) vs 0(0%); p ​= ​0.001), and thus the use of custom made implants was considerably higher in the first study period (p ​= ​0.001). There was no difference in the frequency of post-cranioplasty SSI between the first and second study period (n ​= ​3 (11.5%) vs 1 (4.8%), p ​= ​0.408).

Discussion and conclusion

The new method for handling bone flaps resulted in a lower frequency of positive bacterial cultures, without increased frequency of post-cranioplasty SSI, thus demonstrating it is safe to use, allows compliance with the EU-directives, and may reduce unnecessary discarding of bone flaps.

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New method of bone flap handling and preservation reduced positive bacterial cultures from 35% to 0%.

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The new method used pulsed lavage of bone flap with saline solution and subsequent swab culture.

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There was no increase in post-cranioplasty surgical site infection following introduction of the new method.