Ring drape do not protect against surgical site infections in colorectal surgery: a randomised controlled study.

Introduction: Surgical site infections (SSIs) remain a major problem in colorectal surgery.

Method: In this prospective, randomised study, we compared two kinds of wound protection, namely, "plastic ring drape" versus "standard cloth towels". One hundred one patients were randomised to the control group (wet cloth towels) and 98 to the study cohort (ring drape). SSIs were classified according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations.

Discussion: In the control group, 30 patients had an SSI, whereas 20 did so in the study group. This difference was not significant (p = 0.131).

Conclusion: Plastic ring drape for wound protection does not guard against SSIs in colorectal surgery.