Postoperative negative-pressure incision therapy after liver transplant (PONILITRANS study): A randomized controlled trial.

Background: Postoperative complications of surgical incisions are frequent in liver transplantation. However, evidence justifying the use of incisional negative pressure wound therapy to improve surgical wound outcomes remains limited.

Methods: Participating patients were randomly assigned to receive incisional negative pressure wound therapy or standard surgical dressing on the closed surgical incision of the liver transplantation. The primary endpoint was surgical site infection incidence 30 days postoperatively. The secondary endpoints included surgical site events (ie, surgical site infection, dehiscence, hematoma, and seroma) and wound quality of life.

Results: Between December 2018 and September 2021, 108 patients (54 in the incisional negative pressure wound therapy group and 54 in the control group) were enrolled in this study. The incidence of surgical site infection at 30 days postoperatively was 7.4% in the treatment group and 13% in the control group (P = .34). The rate of surgical site events was similar in the treatment in the and control group (27.8% vs 29.6%, P = .83). In relation to wound quality of life, the mean score was 75.20 ± 7.27 in the incisional negative pressure wound therapy group and 72.82 ± 10.57 in the control group (P = .23).

Conclusion: The prophylactic use of negative pressure wound therapy on primarily closed incisions did not significantly reduce incisional surgical site infection and surgical site event rates after liver transplantation compared with standard surgical dressings.