Wound therapy may not mitigate risk for wound complications in direct anterior THA
Key takeaways:
- Patients with a higher BMI and longer operative time had an increased risk for wound complications following THA.
- Negative pressure wound therapy did not mitigate risk for wound complications.
SAN DIEGO — The prophylactic use of negative pressure wound therapy did not mitigate the risk for wound complications in patients undergoing direct anterior total hip arthroplasty, according to results presented here.
“As the popularity of direct anterior hip arthroplasty continues to increase, there should be heightened focus on how to prevent these wound complications and potentially superficial soft tissue infections and cellulitis that can lead to deep infection during the surgery,” Joshua C. Rozell, MD, chief of orthopedic surgery at NYU Langone Hospital Brooklyn, told Healio about results presented at American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Annual Meeting.
Rozell and colleagues retrospectively analyzed data from 725 patients who underwent direct anterior THA during an 11-year period to determine whether the prophylactic use of negative pressure wound therapy would impact the risk for wound complications.
Rozell said patients with a higher BMI and patients with longer operative time had an increased risk for wound complications following THA.
In addition, he said negative pressure wound therapy did not mitigate wound complication risk, but increased the risk for wound complications.
However, he said patients who have negative pressure wound therapy dressings are more likely to have obesity, have more vulnerable soft tissue envelopes or have longer operating times, which could confound the results.
“In terms of future research, we need to focus on how we can improve our soft tissue handling and carefully assess who is an appropriate candidate for direct anterior total hip replacement. Using larger database studies with a larger number of patients and a wide variety of different surgeons of different experiences will help to answer our questions even further,” Rozell said.
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Rozell JC, et al. Risk factors for wound complications in direct anterior total hip arthroplasty: A 10-year analysis. Presented at: American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Annual Meeting; March 10-14, 2025; San Diego.