OBJECTIVE: Groin wound complications-including surgical site infections (SSIs), hematomas, seroma leakage, necrosis, and wound dehiscence-are frequently reported after arterial vascular surgery and significantly impact patient morbidity and mortality. This multicenter randomized controlled trial evaluated the effectiveness of closed incisional Negative Pressure Wound Therapy (ciNPWT) in reducing these complications. METHODS: From April 2017 to January 2023, 290 patients with peripheral arterial disease scheduled for arterial vascular surgery requiring a longitudinal groin incision were enrolled in the Netherlands. Patients were randomized to receive either ciNPWT with PREVENA or standard surgical dressing (SSD). Wounds were assessed over a 30-day period at an outpatient wound clinic. The primary outcome was the occurrence of wound complications: infection, seroma, necrosis, and dehiscence, with infections graded according to CDC criteria. RESULTS: A total of 275 patients were analyzed (132 in the ciNPWT group, 143 in the SSD group). Overall, 25.5% of patients experienced wound complications. There was no significant difference in the overall rate of wound complications between the ciNPWT and SSD groups (p = 0.37). Both groups had a median hospital stay of 4 days, and no significant difference was observed in time to complete wound healing (23.10 ± 20.78 days for ciNPWT vs. 22.81 ± 20.73 days for SSD; p = 0.99). CONCLUSION: CiNPWT did not reduce the overall rate of wound complications in patients undergoing groin incisions for peripheral arterial surgery. Routine use of ciNPWT in this context is not recommended.
Lenselink et al. (Wed,) studied this question.