• Yingchao Yin, Ruipeng Zhang, Shilun Li, Jialiang Guo, Zhiyong Hou, and Yingze Zhang.
• Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, The Third Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Key Laboratory of Biomechanics of Hebei Province, No. 139 Ziqiang Road, Qiaoxi District, Shijiazhuang, 050051, Hebei Province, China. Electronic address: dryingchao@gmail.com.
• Int J Surg. 2018 Feb 1; 50: 43-48.

ObjectiveTo compare the clinical outcomes of negative-pressure wound therapy (NPWT) versus conventional therapy on split-thickness skin after grafting surgery.DesignMeta-analysis.BackgroundSplit-thickness skin grafts are widely used in reconstruction of large skin defects. Conventional therapy causes pain during dressing changing. NPWT is an alternative method to cover the wound bed.MethodsThe Pubmed, Embase, and Cochrane databases were searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) or cohort studies for articles published between 1993 and April 2017 comparing NPWT to conventional wound therapy for split-thickness skin grafts. The rate of graft take was the primary outcome of this meta-analysis. Wound infection and reoperation rate of the wound were secondary outcomes. Data analysis was conducted using the Review Manager 5.3 software.ResultsFive cohort studies and seven RCTs including 653 patients were eligible for inclusion. Patients treated with NPWT had a significantly higher rate of graft take compared to those treated with conventional therapy [MD = 7.02, (95% CI 3.74, 10.31)] (P = .00). NPWT was associated with a reduction in reoperation [RR = 0.28, (95% CI 0.14, 0.55)] (P = .00). The reduction in wound infection was not significant [RR = 0.63, (95% CI 0.31, 1.27)] (P = .20).ConclusionCompared with conventional therapy, NPWT significantly increases the rate of graft take and reduces the rate of reoperation when applied to cover the wound bed with split-thickness skin graft. No significant impact on wound infection was found in this study.Copyright © 2017 IJS Publishing Group Ltd. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

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