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• Smith & Nephew: Evidence Review Shows Positive Results for NPWT on Surgical Incisions
• 22/01/2014
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           Smith & Nephew (LSE: SN, NYSE: SNN), the global medical technology business, announces today a review of 33 published papers that shows fewer wound healing complications in patients with closed surgical incisions after Negative Pressure Wound Therapy (NPWT) is applied for three to five days post surgery. The journal Bone and Joint Research published the review, which was written by an international panel of experts on NPWT.
           "According to a consensus of the randomised studies, there is a strong argument for the preventative use of NPWT on high-risk, closed surgical incisions," said Prof. James Stannard, Professor and Orthopaedic Surgeon at the Missouri Orthopaedic Institute at the University of Missouri, a co-auther of the paper and the first surgeon ever to report the use of NPWT on closed incisions.
           "Most surgeons are familiar with the efficacy of NPWT on complex open wounds as that has become a standard of care," said Prof. Stannard. "However, there is a growing awareness of the potential for incisional NPWT to reduce post surgical complications in high risk patients and the related costs involved. We expect that the further development of lower cost, single use NPWT devices will catalyse additional studies."
           The most common surgical site complication is infection. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 300,000 surgical site infections (SSIs) occur every year in the United States, representing 17% of all healthcare associated infections. SSIs occur in an estimated 5% of in-patient surgical procedures and result in seven to 10 additional post-operative hospital days. (Berrios-Torres SI. Surgical Site Infection (SSI) Toolkit. Activity C: ELC Prevention Collaboratives. U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); 2009. Available here.)
           Co-authored by six members of a panel of international experts on NPWT, the Bone and Joint Research paper examines research from 33 clinical publications investigating new technologies that can be applied to closed surgical incisions to help minimise complications. The panel conducted the review in orthopaedic and other surgical disciplines.
           Bone and Joint Research is a UK-based peer reviewed journal that publishes papers across the entire spectrum of musculoskeletal sciences.