Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39800681›Full record

SynthesisJournal of orthopaedic surgery and research2025

Effectiveness of negative pressure wound therapy in treating deep surgical site infections after spine surgery: a meta-analysis of single-arm studies.

Shiwei Ren, Huan Liu, Zhengqi Chang

Abstract readMeta-Analysis
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Journal of orthopaedic surgery and research, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Negative pressure wound therapy for the prevention of surgical site infections in orthopedic and trauma surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis of RCTs.Journal of orthopaedics and traumatology : official journal of the Italian Society of Orthopaedics and Traumatology · 2025
    Pooled it
  2. [Clinical application of a modified double keystone design perforator island flap for repair of defects after excision of Bowen disease in posterior midline lumbar region].Zhongguo xiu fu chong jian wai ke za zhi = Zhongguo xiufu chongjian waike zazhi = Chinese journal of reparative and reconstructive surgery · 2026
    Article
  3. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Shiwei Ren *Department of Orthopaedics, the 960th Hospital of PLA, 25 shifan Road, Tianqiao District, Jinan, Shandong, 250031, China.
Huan Liu *Department of Orthopaedics, the 960th Hospital of PLA, 25 shifan Road, Tianqiao District, Jinan, Shandong, 250031, China.
Zhengqi ChangDepartment of Orthopaedics, the 960th Hospital of PLA, 25 shifan Road, Tianqiao District, Jinan, Shandong, 250031, China. 26766771@qq.com.

Funding

Natural Science Foundation of Shandong Province ZR2023MH331Special project to develop and upgrade military capacity in traditional Chinese medicine services 2023ZY058
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundOne of the common complications in spinal surgery patients is deep surgical site infections (SSIs). Deep SSIs refer to infections that involve the deeper soft tissues of the incision, such as the fascia and muscle layers. This complication can lead to prolonged hospitalization, repeated surgeries, and even life-threatening conditions. In recent years, Negative Pressure Wound Therapy (NPWT) has been widely used as an effective wound healing method in the management of post-surgical infections. However, there is a lack of systematic research and comprehensive reviews regarding the exact effectiveness of NPWT in the treatment of deep SSIs following spinal surgery. Therefore, we conducted this meta-analysis to explore the efficacy of NPWT in treating deep SSIs after spinal surgery, aiming to provide clearer evidence to support clinical practice.

methodsA comprehensive search of databases, including CNKI, Wanfang data, VIP data, CBM, PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science, was conducted for studies up to August 20, 2024, examining the use of NPWT in treating SSIs after spinal surgery. Using Stata 15.0 software, we employed either fixed or random models to calculate combined effect sizes, depending on the level of heterogeneity observed.

resultsOf the 571 publications initially screened, 19 studies meeting the inclusion criteria were selected for analysis. The meta-analysis revealed that the mean duration of vacuum sealing drainage (VSD) treatment was 17.45 days [95% confidence interval (CI) (11.63 days, 23.28 days)], and the mean number of VSD uses was 2.57 times[95% CI (1.53times, 3.60times)]. Additionally, the recurrence rate of infection post-discharge was 2% (95% CI = 0-4%). The reoperation rate for internal fixation in NPWT-treated patients was 4% (95% CI = 0-14%).

conclusionAvailable evidence supports the effectiveness of NPWT in treating deep SSIs following spinal surgery, suggesting its clinical utility. However, further studies are needed to compare NPWT with other treatment options for SSIs management. REGISTRATIONS: PROSPERO CRD42024612412.

Indexed as

Negative-Pressure Wound TherapySpineSurgical Wound InfectionHumansTreatment OutcomeWound HealingInfectionNegative pressure wound therapyOrthopaedic surgerySpinal surgerySurgical site infection

Identifiers

PMID39800681
PMCPMC11727547

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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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.