Reduction in Wound Complications After Total Ankle Arthroplasty Using a Compression Wrap Protocol.

Area of Science:

• Orthopedic Surgery
• Wound Healing
• Arthroplasty

Background:

• Total ankle arthroplasty (TAA) is a surgical procedure to replace a damaged ankle joint.
• Postoperative wound care is critical for successful TAA outcomes.
• Traditional cast immobilization may be associated with wound complications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare wound complications after TAA between compression wrap and cast immobilization protocols.
• To evaluate the clinical effectiveness of compression wraps in TAA postoperative wound management.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective review of 92 patients (42 compression wrap, 50 cast immobilization) undergoing primary TAA.
• Blinded wound assessment using a novel classification system and healing time evaluation.
• Assessment of intraobserver reliability for wound grading.

Main Results:

• The compression wrap group had significantly fewer total and mild wound complications (P = .02).
• No significant differences in moderate or severe complications were observed between groups.
• A higher proportion of TAA incisions in the casted group took longer than 3 months to heal (P = .02).

Conclusions:

• Compression wrap protocol is a safe and effective alternative for TAA postoperative wound care.
• This protocol reduced wound complications and was well-tolerated by patients.
• Further randomized trials are recommended to confirm utility and cost-effectiveness.