The Effect of Topical Vancomycin Powder Application on the Rate of Intervertebral Fusion Following Lumbar Fusion: A Retrospective Study

Abstract

PurposeThe occurrence of surgical site infection (SSI) after lumbar spinal fusion is a serious complication. Therefore, an increasing number of clinicians are applying vancomycin powder topically in the surgical field to reduce the incidence of SSI. However, there is concern that topical vancomycin powder application may affect intervertebral fusion. The purpose of this study was to analyse the effect of clinically-relevant topical vancomycin doses on the rate of intervertebral fusion after lumbar fusion and to further investigate the effect of vancomycin powder on the prevention of SSI. MethodsThe clinical data of 192 patients with degenerative lumbar spine disease admitted from January 2019 to June 2022, all of whom underwent posterior lumbar fusion, were retrospectively analysed. According to the infection prevention protocol, they were divided into a vancomycin group and a control group (no vancomycin), and the vancomycin group was sub-divided into 0.5 g, 1.0 g, and 1.5 g vancomycin groups. General information and surgical evaluation indexes were compared between the control and vancomycin groups and intervertebral fusion was compared between the vancomycin groups at 6 months and 12 months postoperatively. ResultsThe rate of SSI in the vancomycin group was 0.0%, which was significantly lower than that in the control group (5.3%, P < 0.05), and intervertebral fusion was good in all three vancomycin groups at 6 months and 12 months postoperatively, with no statistically-significant differences (P > 0.05). ConclusionTopical application of 0.5 g, 1.0 g, or 1.5 g vancomycin powder did not affect the rates of intervertebral fusion after lumbar fusion. In addition, topical application of vancomycin powder significantly reduced the rates of SSI.