The effectiveness of different fasciotomy wound management treatment options following acute compartment syndrome: A systematic review protocol.

Abstract

Review question/objective The overall objective of this review is to identify the best available evidence on the effectiveness of treatment options for managing fasciotomy wounds acquired due to treatment for acute compartment syndrome in the limbs. More specifically, the systematic review question is: What is the effectiveness of different treatment options for managing a fasciotomy wound on outcomes such as time to primary wound healing, percentage of patients who need skin grafts to effect closure of the wound and length of stay in hospital following the fasciotomies, in patients with acute compartment syndrome of the limb(s)? Inclusion criteria Types of participants The participants of interest are patients of any age who have acquired a fasciotomy wound as a result of treatment for acute compartment syndrome of the limb occurring as a result of injury (excluding compartment syndrome resulting from burns), regardless of co-morbidities or severity of injury. The co-morbidities, injury type and age will be taken into account when analysing the outcomes due to the impact of these factors on wound healing separate to the wound management options chosen. Types of interventions of interest This review will consider any human studies that evaluate the effectiveness of different treatment options for managing fasciotomy wounds. Types of treatment will include wound management aimed at both optimising the health of the open fasciotomy wound to prevent deterioration before the wound can be closed, and at achieving wound closure, including staged closure. Comparator The review will consider as a comparator the usual care of fasciotomy wound or other treatments of their fasciotomy wound. Types of outcomes This review will consider studies that include the following outcome measures: •Time to wound closure without skin grafting, measured in days between fasciotomy operation and definitive wound closure. •Time to wound closure where skin grafts have been used, measured in days between fasciotomy operation and wound closure. •Rate of wound healing without need for skin grafting. The numerator will be all fasciotomy wounds that require skin grafts to effect a definitive wound closure and the denominator will be all fasciotomy wounds included in the TRUNCATED AT 350 WORDS