SynthesisEuropean spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society2020
Risk-benefit analysis of wound drain usage in spine surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis with evidence summary.
Synthesis in European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 19 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
19 citing papers in PubMed, 37 citations in OpenAlex.
- Drain versus no-drain at the donor sites of iliac crest bone graft: a retrospective study.Journal of orthopaedic surgery and research · 2024Trial
- Multimodal ultrasonography for the prospective evaluation of soft-tissue changes after anterior cervical discectomy and fusion.Journal of orthopaedic surgery and research · 2026Observational
- Complication assessment in full-endoscopic uniportal lumbar spine surgery: A prospective analysis from 304 patients.Brain & spine · 2026Article
- Is submuscular drainage mandatory for posterior spinal fusion in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis? A retrospective clinical study.Frontiers in surgery · 2026Article
- Airway Compromise in Adults Following Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Laryngoscope investigative otolaryngology · 2025Review
- Fluoroscopy-Guided Removal of Tethered Surgical Drain via Guidewire Electrification: A Case Report.Cureus · 2025Article
- Is a wound drain needed routinely after anterior cervical discectomy and fusion?North American Spine Society journal · 2025Article
- Surgeon Preferences Worldwide in Wound Drain Utilization in Open Lumbar Fusion Surgery for Degenerative Pathologies.Global spine journal · 2025Article
- Running subcuticular skin closure with absorbable suture may have a lower deep surgical site infection rate compared to skin staples in open posterior lumbar spine surgery.Surgical neurology international · 2025Article
- Article
- Clinical Efficacy of Intra-articular Tranexamic Acid Injection in the Management of Hemophilia with Total Hip Arthroplasty: A 24-month Retrospective Cohort Study.Orthopaedic surgery · 2024Article
- Thoracolumbar fractures patients undergoing posterior pedicle screw fixation can benefit from drainage.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2024Article
- Conservative Treatment for Spontaneous Resolution of Postoperative Symptomatic Thoracic Spinal Epidural Hematoma-A Case Report.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2023Article
- Enhanced recovery after microdiscectomy: reductions in opioid use, length of stay and cost.BMC surgery · 2023Article
- Negative versus natural drainage after single-level posterior lumbar interbody fusion. A prospective randomized study.Brain & spine · 2023Article
- Comparative Study of the Usage of Closed Suction and Nonsuction Drains in Cervical Laminoplasty.Spine surgery and related research · 2022Article
- Complications associated to wound drainages in tumor spine surgery: a multicenter surveillance study from the German Spine Registry (DWG-Register).Scientific reports · 2022Article
- Drains in Spine Surgery for Degenerative Disc Diseases: A Literature Review to Determine Its Usage.Cureus · 2022Review
- Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
STUDY
designSystematic review, meta-analysis, evidence synthesis.
objectivesTo analyse the literature evidence available to support the usage of wound drain in various scenarios of spine surgery and provide an evidence summary on the surgical practice. MATERIALS AND
methodsWe conducted independent and duplicate electronic database searches adhering to PRISMA guidelines in PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library till April 2020. Quality appraisal was done as per Cochrane ROB tool, and evidence synthesis was done as per GRADE approach. Five domains of spine surgery with associated key questions were identified. Evidence tables were generated for each question and critical appraisal done as per the GRADE approach.
resultsTwenty-three studies (9-RCTs, 4-prospective studies, 10-retrospective studies) were included. Analysis of studies in cervical spine either by anterior or posterior approach and single/multilevel thoracolumbar spinal surgeries did not show any evidence of reduction in surgical site infection (SSI) or haematoma formation with the use of drain. Deformity correction surgeries and surgeries done for trauma or tumour involving spine also did not find any added benefit from the use of wound drains despite increasing the total blood loss.
conclusionEvidence from this review suggests that routine use of drain in various domains of spine surgery does not reduce the risk of SSI and their absence did not increase the risk of haematoma formation. The current best evidence is presented with its limitations. High-quality studies to address their use in spine surgeries in cervical, trauma, and tumour domains are required to further strengthen the evidence synthesised from available literature.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.