title: Effects of a new pocket device for negative pressure wound therapy on surgical wounds of patients affected with Crohn's disease: a pilot trial.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Surgical site infections (SSIs) affect costs of care and prolong length of stay. Crohn's disease (CD) represents an independent risk factor for SSI. The risk can be further increased by concomitant administration of immunosuppressive drugs and poor performance status at the time of surgery. Patients suffering from CD often need more than one surgical intervention during life, sometimes requiring fashioning of a stoma. The aim of this pilot study was to compare a portable device for negative pressure wound therapy (PICO, Smith & Nephew, London, UK) to conventional gauze dressings in patients undergoing surgery for stricturing CD.
  
  
  METHODS
  Between January 2010 and November 2011, this controlled trial enrolled 30 patients, who were assigned to treatment with either PICO (n = 13) or conventional dressings (n = 17). Each patient completed a 3-month follow-up.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients receiving PICO experienced significantly less postoperative wound complications (P = .001) and SSI (P = .017) compared with those who received conventional dressings. This resulted in shorter hospital stay (P = .0007). No significant differences in cosmetic results were found.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These data suggest that PICO allows faster and safe discharge by reducing the incidence of SSI and wound-related complications in selected patients undergoing surgical intervention for stricturing CD. This could be particularly useful in patients receiving steroids.
authors.affiliation: 1Second University of Naples, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Gianluca
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pellino
authors.forename: Guido
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sciaudone
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Candilio
authors.forename: Ferdinando
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Campitiello
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Selvaggi
authors.forename: Silvestro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Canonico
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003424:Crohn Disease / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D054843:Negative-Pressure Wound Therapy / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods*; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000517:prevention & control; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013530:Surgical Wound Infection / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy*; D014945:Wound Healing; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Crohn’s disease; instrumentation; methods; negative pressure wound therapy; patient satisfaction; surgical site infections; wound healing