Closed wound drainage systems: the Stryker Constavac versus the Snyder Hemovac

Forty-five patients were supplied randomly with either the Stryker Constavac or the Snyder Hemovac closed wound drainage system following total hip or total knee replacement in order to assess their relative effectiveness. All operations were unilateral and each patient utilized only one of the drainage systems. When fluid accumulations were compared using analysis of variance techniques, the Constavac was shown to evacuate an average of 136 ml more than the Hemovac (p less than 0.025). This study demonstrated that the Stryker Constavac is an acceptable substitute for the Synder Hemovac and its performance is at least as effective.