Comparative efficacy of advanced and traditional wound dressings in post-operative orthopaedic care for hip and knee surgeries: A randomized controlled trial.

Background: This randomized controlled study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of three advanced dressings (Aquacel Ag®, Opsite® Post-Op, and Mepilex Border Post-Op®) versus traditional dressings in post-operative care for patients undergoing orthopaedic hip or knee surgeries. Methods: Conducted between August and December 2022 at a tertiary care orthopaedic centre, 314 patients were randomized into four groups. Group A received Aquacel Ag®, Group B received Opsite® Post-Op, Group C received Mepilex Border Post-Op®, and Group D received traditional dressings. The primary outcomes measured were pain levels during dressing changes, exudate management, patient comfort, nurses' ease of application and removal of the dressing, and surgical site complications. Multivariate analysis, including logistic regression, was performed to adjust for potential confounders (ClinicalTrials.gov ID NCT06540040). Results: Mepilex Border Post-Op® (Group C) significantly outperformed other dressings in key areas. Pain levels during dressing changes were consistently lower in this group on Day 3 (3.5 ± 0.8 vs. 6.0 ± 1.1 in the traditional dressing group, p = 0.002) and at day 7 & 14 as well. Exudate management was effective with Mepilex Border Post-Op®. Group C patients reported the highest comfort and mobility scores on a Likert scale with easy application and removal. Surgical site complications were minimal, with only 1.2 % of Group C patients affected by Day 14 compared to 9.8 % in Group D (p = 0.003). Multivariate analysis confirmed that Mepilex Border Post-Op® significantly reduced surgical site complications and improved patient comfort, with adjusted odds ratios favouring this dressing over traditional options. Conclusion: Mepilex Border Post-Op® (a 4-layer hydrophilic foam dressing) demonstrated benefits in post-operative care, reducing pain and complications while improving patient comfort. Single centre design with a limited sample size of the present study limits the generalizability of our findings. Further research is warranted to confirm these findings in broader clinical settings. Trial registration number: ClinicalTrials.gov ID NCT06540040.