Standard Versus PICO Dressings in Lower-Extremity Bypass Patients

Post-operative infection after lower extremity bypass operations (LEB) can lead to devastating consequences. A systematic review of lower-extremity (LE) re-vascularization cases using the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS-NSQIP) found that 11.1% of patients were diagnosed with surgical site infections (SSI). Another main issue in LEB is swelling, which occurs in about 70% of these patients and leads to increased pressure along the leading edges of often-long wounds. A wide variety of methods to decrease these post-operative consequences are currently part of standard practice. These techniques include covering incision sites with sterile gauze dressing, elevating the leg, and wrapping with pressure dressings. Patients are then instructed to change dressings themselves at home. However, SSI rates demonstrate that these are only partially effective measures, and there remains room to improve post-operative management of infection and swelling. Negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT), over the past several years, has provided a way to post-operatively manage complex wounds (see device description). PICO single-use negative pressure dressings have been examined in previous studies. However, these were either case series, for chronic wounds, or for non-vascular procedures. The effectiveness of PICO versus standard dressings in LEB has yet to be determined in a prospective, comparative study. Results will indicate whether PICO should be included standard post-operative care of lower-extremity bypass patients. This study is designed to compare PICO and standard care, and determine which offers the best outcomes of decreased days to ambulation and post-operative wound complications.