• Amanuel Woldesenbet, Christopher McGinley, and Damirez Fossett.
• Medical Student, Howard University College of Medicine, 520 W St NW, Washington DC, USA. Electronic address: W.amanuel94@gmail.com.
• World Neurosurg. 2024 Dec 24: 123591123591.

BackgroundNegative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) has been employed for post-surgical wound management across various disciplines, including spinal surgery. However, its efficacy in reducing wound infection rates following posterior thoracolumbar spine surgery remains uncertain.MethodsA retrospective review was conducted at a single institution, examining 266 patients who underwent posterior thoracic, lumbar, or thoracolumbar spine surgery performed by one neurosurgeon. Data included NPWT usage, type of surgery, infection rates, prior spinal surgeries, demographics, comorbidities, smoking status, and immune profiles. Statistical analysis was performed to evaluate correlations.ResultsOf the 266 patients, 122 (46%) were males, 144 (54%) were females, and 213 (80%) were Black or African American. Patients had a mean age of 56.4 years and an average BMI of 29.6 kg/m2. NPWT was applied to 153 patients (57.5%). Post-operative wound infections occurred in 35 patients (13%), with 19 (54%) in the NPWT group. Overall, NPWT use was not associated with a statistically significant reduction in infection rates (p=0.69). However, analysis of patients with multiple comorbidities showed a significant decrease in infections with NPWT (p<0.01). A total of 198 patients (74.4%) had at least one comorbidity, and 10.1% (20 patients) had two or more major comorbidities.ConclusionNPWT significantly reduced infection rates in patients with multiple comorbidities, suggesting its potential benefit in managing wound infections in this subgroup. This finding is particularly relevant for an urban, minority patient population, highlighting the importance of tailored wound care strategies.Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Inc.

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