Prevention of Surgical Site Infection After Ankle Surgery Using Vacuum-Assisted Closure Therapy in High-Risk Patients With Diabetes

Abstract

Patients with diabetes have a high risk of surgical site infection (SSI) after ankle surgery. The aim of the present study was to investigate the efficacy of vacuum-assisted closure (VAC) in the prevention of SSI after ankle surgery compared with the efficacy of standard moist wound care (SMWC). A retrospective study was performed of unstable ankle fractures for surgical fixation in patients with diabetes from January 2012 to December 2014. VAC and SMWC were used for surgical incision coverage. The primary outcome was the incidence of SSI, and the secondary outcomes were the length of hospital stay and crude hospital costs. The data from 76 patients were analyzed, with 22 (28.95%) in the VAC group and 54 (71.05%) in the SMWC group. The incidence of SSI was 4.6% in the VAC group compared with 27.8% in the SMWC group (chi-square 5.076; p = .024), and the crude odds ratio for SSI in the VAC group was 0.124 (95% confidence interval 0.002 to 0.938). The length of hospital stay was lower in the VAC group than in the SMWC group (12.6 ± 2.7 days and 15.2 ± 3.5 days, respectively; t = 3.122, p = .003). The crude hospital costs were also lower in the VAC group than in the SMWC group (Chinese yuan 8643.2 ± 1195.3 and 9456.2 ± 1106.3, respectively; t = 2.839, p = .006). After logistic regression analysis, the adjusted odds ratio for the total SSI rate comparing VAC and SMWC was 0.324 (95% confidence interval 0.092 to 0.804; p = .021). Compared with SMWC, VAC can decrease the SSI rate after ankle surgery in patients with diabetes. This finding should be confirmed by prospective, randomized controlled clinical trials.