Negative-pressure wound therapy after stoma reversal in colorectal surgery: a randomized controlled trial

The use of negative-pressure wound therapy (NPWT) does not reduce the incidence of surgical-site infections after stoma-reversal surgery; however, its application reduces healing times, provides superior comfort for the patient, reduces wound pain and leads to better aesthetic outcomes compared with standard purse-string suture technique. This is the first randomized trial evaluating pain and discomfort with the application of NPWT in stoma reversal. Background Stoma-reversal surgery is associated with high postoperative morbidity, including wound complications and surgical-site infections (SSIs). This study aims to assess whether the application of negative-pressure wound therapy (NPWT) can improve wound healing compared with conventional wound dressing. Methods This was a single-centre, superiority, open-label, parallel, individually randomized controlled trial. Patients undergoing stoma reversal were randomized (1 : 1) to receive NPWT or conventional wound dressing. The primary endpoint of the study was the rate of wound complications and SSIs after stoma closure. The secondary endpoints were postoperative wound pain, rate of wound healing after 30 days from stoma closure, and wound aesthetic satisfaction. Results Between June 2019 and January 2021, 50 patients were allocated to the NPWT group (all received NPWT, 49 were analysed); 50 patients were allocated to the conventional wound dressing group (48 received the treatment, 45 were analysed). No significant difference was found in wound-complication rate (10 per cent NPWT versus 16 per cent controls; odds ratio 0.61 (95 per cent c.i. 0.18 to 2.10), P = 0.542) and incisional SSI rate (8 per cent NPWT versus 7 per cent controls; odds ratio 1.24 (95 per cent c.i. 0.26 to 5.99), P = 1.000). The NPWT group showed less pain, higher aesthetic satisfaction (P < 0.0001), and a higher proportion of wound healing (92 versus 78 per cent; P = 0.081) compared with the control group. Conclusion NPWT does not reduce the incidence of SSI after stoma-reversal surgery compared with conventional wound dressing. However, NPWT improved the healing of uninfected wounds, reduced wound pain and led to better aesthetic outcomes. Registration number: NCT037812016 (clinicaltrials.gov).