Utilizing Closed Incisional Negative Pressure Therapy Reduces Peripheral Bypass Infection Rates Without Increasing...

Area of Science:

• Vascular Surgery
• Infection Control
• Medical Devices

Background:

• Surgical site infections (SSIs) pose a significant risk in lower extremity bypass procedures.
• Evaluating the impact of novel therapies like closed incisional negative pressure therapy (ciNPT) is crucial for improving patient outcomes.
• The cost-effectiveness of implementing new treatment modalities requires thorough investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the efficacy of routine closed incisional negative pressure therapy (ciNPT) in reducing surgical site infection (SSI) rates.
• To determine if the adoption of ciNPT for lower extremity bypass procedures is a cost-effective strategy.
• To analyze the impact of ciNPT on both superficial and deep infection rates.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective review compared outcomes of lower extremity bypass patients before and after the routine implementation of ciNPT.
• Group A (no ciNPT) and Group B (ciNPT) outcomes were analyzed using chi-squared tests (p<0.05 for significance).
• Institutional cost metrics were utilized for a separate cost-effectiveness analysis.

Main Results:

• The SSI rate decreased from 11.8% in Group A (102 patients) to 3.5% in Group B (113 patients; p=0.02).
• Deep infection rates significantly dropped from 7% to 1% (p=0.01) with ciNPT use.
• A minimum of $62,000 in infection-related costs was saved, demonstrating significant cost-effectiveness.

Conclusions:

• Routine closed incisional negative pressure therapy (ciNPT) demonstrably reduces both deep and superficial surgical site infections in lower extremity bypass patients.
• The implementation of ciNPT has proven to be a significant cost-effective measure for the institution.
• ciNPT is now standard practice for all lower extremity bypass patients due to its positive impact.