ROLE OF INCISIONAL VACUUM THERAPY IN ENDOPROSTHETIC BONE RECONSTRUCTION SURGERY

Area of Science:

• Orthopedic Surgery
• Oncology
• Biomaterials

Background:

• Reconstructive surgery using endoprostheses is standard for bone malignancies, but postoperative infections are a significant complication.
• Current treatments for infection involve extended hospitalization and antibiotic courses.
• Incisional negative pressure therapy (iNPT) is an emerging technique to mitigate surgical site complications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the efficacy of iNPT in minimizing postoperative complications following bone tumor resection and endoprosthesis reconstruction.
• To investigate the impact of iNPT on infection rates and wound healing in this specific patient population.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective case series involving 16 patients with osteosarcoma.
• Patients underwent tumor resection and endoprosthesis reconstruction, followed by postoperative iNPT for seven days.
• Outcomes assessed included postoperative infection incidence and surgical wound complications over a six-month follow-up period.

Main Results:

• Only three patients (18.7%) experienced postoperative infections.
• No instances of wound dehiscence, seroma, or hematoma were recorded at the surgical site.
• The observed complication rate was notably lower than reported in similar literature.

Conclusions:

• iNPT demonstrates potential as an effective method for reducing local complications in reconstructive surgeries involving endoprostheses after bone malignancy resection.
• The findings suggest iNPT can improve surgical wound outcomes in complex orthopedic oncology cases.
• Further research may validate iNPT as a standard adjunctive therapy in this setting.