title: Postoperative drains at the donor sites of iliac-crest bone grafts. A prospective, randomized study of morbidity at the donor site in patients who had a traumatic injury of the spine.
abstract: A prospective, randomized study was performed to assess the effectiveness of postoperative closed suction drainage. One hundred and twelve consecutive procedures involving autologous iliac-crest bone graft were performed, from December 29, 1992, to July 1, 1993, following a traumatic injury of the spine in 108 patients. Sixty of the sites from which the bone graft had been obtained were drained with a single large Hemovac device. The drains were maintained for two to five days postoperatively. The remaining fifty-two incisions were closed without a drainage device. All patients were evaluated clinically for problems with wound-healing. The incisions were considered to be healed when they had been asymptomatic for one year. Of eleven patients who had problems with wound-healing, six had been managed with a drain and five had not. The findings of this study do not support the routine use of drainage at the donor sites of iliac-crest bone grafts.
authors.affiliation: Indianapolis Neurosurgical Group, Indiana 46260, USA.
authors.forename: R C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Sasso
authors.forename: J I
authors.initials: JI
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Dimasi
authors.forename: P R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Meyer
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007085:Ilium / Q000637:transplantation*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011182:Postoperative Care; D011446:Prospective Studies; D016103:Spinal Fractures / Q000601:surgery; D013396:Suction; D013997:Time Factors; D014182:Transplantation, Autologous; D014945:Wound Healing