Closed incision negative pressure wound therapy may decrease wound complications in major lower extremity amputations

Objective: Wound complications after major lower extremity amputations (LEAs) are a cause of significant morbidity in vascular surgery patients. Recent publications have demonstrated the efficacy of the closed incision negative pressure dressing at preventing surgical site infections (SSIs); however, there are few data on its use in major LEAs. This study sought to assess if closed incision negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) would decrease the risk of complications as compared with a standard dressing in patients with peripheral vascular disease undergoing major LEA. Methods: Fifty-four consecutive patient limbs with a history of peripheral arterial disease underwent below-knee or above-knee amputations. This was a retrospective review of a prospectively maintained database from January 2018 to December 2019, and it included 23 amputations in the NPWT group and 31 amputations in the standard dressing group. NPWT using the PREVENA system was applied intraoperatively at the discretion of the operating surgeon and removed 5 to 7 days postoperatively. The standard group received a nonadherent dressing with an overlying compression dressing. Amputation incisions were assessed and wound complications were recorded. Student's t-test and two-sample proportion z-test were used for statistical analysis. A P value of less than .05 was considered statistically significant. Results: For comorbidities, there was a higher incidence of tobacco use in the NPWT as compared with the standard group (44% vs 13%; P= .011), as well as trends toward increased prior amputations, anemia, hyperlipidemia, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder in the NPWT group. For risk factors, there were more dirty wounds in the NPWT as compared with the standard group (52% vs 26%; P= .046). For outcomes, there were fewer wound complications in the NPWT as compared with the standard group (13% vs 39%; P = .037). The types of wound-related complications in the NPWT group included one wound dehiscence with a deep SSI, one superficial SSI, and one incision line necrosis. In the standard group, there were four wound dehiscences with deep SSI, three superficial SSIs, four incision line necroses, and one stump hematoma. The rates of perioperative mortality and amputation revision did not differ significantly between the NPWT and the standard groups (3% vs 4% and 4.3% vs 10%, respectively). Conclusions: Closed incision NPWT may decrease the incidence of wound complications in vascular patients undergoing major LEA. This held true even among a population that was potentially at higher risk. This therapy may be considered for use in lower extremity major amputations.

Automated summary

This study aimed to evaluate whether closed incision negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) could reduce the risk of complications in patients with peripheral vascular disease undergoing major lower extremity amputations compared to standard dressing. Results showed a higher tobacco use and more dirty wounds in the NPWT group, but a lower rate of wound complications.