[Prophylactic Negative Pressure Wound Therapy for Patients at High Risk of Surgical Site Infection in Cardiovascular Surgery].

Background: Deep sternal wound infection after cardiovascular surgery is one of the most devasting complications in both a short and long term. The addition of prophylactic negative pressure wound therapy( pNPWT) to standard surgical site infection( SSI) prophylaxis could be promising approach for the reduction of this problem.

Methods: We evaluated 117 consecutive patients who underwent median sternotomy for cardiovascular surgery at our institution from July 2021 to December 2021. pNPWT with Prevena system was used for patients at high risk of SSI. The incidence of SSI was considered.

Results: There were 50 patients in pNPWT group and 67 in the usual management group. The estimated risk of SSI was significantly higher in the pNPWT group (2.9±2.3% vs 1.7±1.3%, p<0.05), but there was no significant difference in the incidence of SSI.

Conclusion: Prophylactic negative wound therapy in cardiovascular surgery may reduce the incidence of SSI to normal levels in a group of patients at high risk of SSI.