Efficacy of Intrawound Vancomycin Powder Application for Prevention of Surgical Site Infection in Posterior Thoracolumbar Spinal Surgery: A Retrospective Cohort Study
Keywords:
Vancomycin Powder, Infection, Thoracolumbar Spinal SurgeryAbstract
Objective : To compare the incidence of postoperative surgical site infection (SSI) in thoracolumbar spinal instrumentation surgery between patients receiving intrawound vancomycin powder and a control group.
Methods : This retrospective cohort study included 144 patients undergoing thoracolumbar spinal surgery. Patients were divided into two groups: vancomycin group (n=72) and control group (n=72). Baseline characteristics and outcomes were compared using Chi-square test, t-test, and Mann-Whitney U test. Propensity Score Matching (PSM) was applied to control confounding variables.
Result : The vancomycin group had a significantly lower SSI rate compared to the control group (1.39% vs 25.0%, p<0.01). After matching by PSM, the vancomycin group had a 0% infection rate while the matched control group had a 23.1% infection rate (p<0.01).
Conclusion : The use of intrawound vancomycin powder effectively reduces postoperative infection in thoracolumbar spinal instrumentation and may be a useful adjunct in high-risk patients.
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