Negative pressure wound therapy to prevent seromas and treat surgical incisions after total hip arthroplasty

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the use of negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) to improve wound healing after total hip arthroplasty (THA) and its influence on the development of postoperative seromas in the wound area.

Materials: The study is a prospective randomised evaluation of NPWT in patients with large surgical wounds after THA, randomising patients to either a standard dressing (group A) or a NPWT (group B) over the wound area. The wound area was examined with ultrasound to measure the postoperative seromas in both groups on the fifth and tenth postoperative days.

Results: There were 19 patients randomised in this study. Ten days after surgery, group A (ten patients, 70.5 ± 11.01 years of age) developed seromas with an average size of 5.08 ml and group B (nine patients, 66.22 ± 17.83 years of age) 1.97 ml. The difference was significant (p = 0.021).

Conclusion: NPWT has been used on many different types of traumatic and non traumatic wounds. This prospective, randomised study has demonstrated decreased development of postoperative seromas in the wound and improved wound healing.

Figures

Fig. 1

Ultrasound of the wound area of two patients with negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) and no seroma and a scar tissue after ten days

Fig. 2

Ultrasound of the wound area with a postoperative seroma in the control group