Incisional Negative-Pressure Wound Therapy for Perineal Wounds After Abdominoperineal Resection for Rectal Cancer, a Pilot Study.

Objective: Abdominoperineal resection (APR) is associated with high incidence of surgical wound infections. The use of incisional negative-pressure wound therapy (iNPWT) is known to reduce wound infections for several surgical indications. The aim of this pilot study was to investigate the potential of a new portable negative-pressure therapy device on perineal wound healing in patients undergoing APR. Approach: A new single-use incisional negative-pressure therapy device was applied in 10 patients. A negative pressure of -80 mmHg was continued for 7 days postsurgery. Incidence of wound complications and time to wound healing were compared with a historical control group of 10 patients undergoing APR in 2014, treated with conventional wound care. Results: Patient characteristics were comparable in both groups. Mean 1.6 dressings were used per patient. A wound complication was diagnosed in seven patients versus six in the control group. Wound infections were diagnosed median 11.5 days after surgery, compared with 10.5 days in the control group. Duration of wound healing was shorter in the study group (median 8.5 weeks vs. 13 weeks). Innovation: This is the first study to report on the use of this iNPWT device for patients who underwent APR for rectal cancer. Conclusion: In this study, iNPWT did not reduce wound complications. Wound infections occurred slightly later and seemed to have a less severe clinical course. After treatment with iNPWT, the duration of wound healing was shorter.