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Is Surgical Drain Useful for Lumbar Disc Surgery?
Ho Seok Choi1, Sang Gu Lee1, Woo Kyung Kim1
1Department of Neurosurgery, Gachon University Gil Medical Center, Incheon, Korea.
Korean Journal of Spine
|April 29, 2016
Summary
This study found that surgical drains after lumbar discectomy do not increase postoperative infection rates. Drain tip cultures can help detect early infections, allowing for prompt antibiotic treatment.
Area of Science:
- Neurosurgery
- Infectious Disease
Background:
- Surgical drains are common after spine surgery to prevent hematomas.
- However, drains can potentially introduce infection.
- The relationship between surgical drains and infection risk is debated.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between surgical drains and postoperative infection rates following lumbar discectomy.
- To evaluate the utility of drain tip cultures in early infection detection.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of 70 patients undergoing single-level lumbar discectomy.
- Patients were divided into drainage and nondrainage groups.
- Comparison of infection rates, C-reactive protein levels, Visual Analog Scale (VAS) scores, and hospital stay.
Main Results:
- No statistically significant difference in postoperative infection rates between the drainage (42 patients) and nondrainage (28 patients) groups (p=0.157).
- Two patients in the nondrainage group required reoperation due to infection.
- Drain tip cultures facilitated early detection and treatment of infections.
Conclusions:
- Surgical drains do not appear to increase the risk of postoperative infection after lumbar discectomy.
- Drain tip cultures are valuable for early identification of surgical site infections.
- Early detection enables timely initiation of antibiotic therapy.
