Drains and Surgical Site Infections

The Association of Surgical Drains With the Risk of Surgical Site Infection - a Prospective Observational Study

Status

Completed

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Observational

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT03408782

Enrollment

4584

Registered

2018-01-24

Start date

2013-02-22

Completion date

2015-08-31

Last updated

2018-01-24

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Surgical Site Infection

Keywords

Surgical Site Infection, Surgical drains

Brief summary

This prospective observational study examines the associations of presence, duration, type, number and location of surgical drains with the risk of surgical site infections in a contemporary and multicentric cohort of general, orthopedic trauma and vascular surgery procedures.

Detailed description

Surgical site infections (SSI) represent the most common type of nosocomial infection amongst surgical patients. They cause morbidity and mortality. Surgical Drains are commonly inserted at the end of many surgical procedures. In contrast to potential benefits, drains are also thought to potentially serve as a conduit of bacteria into the wound and hence may increase the risk of SSI. Patterns of use of drains vary widely across surgical disciplines and individual practices. There are no uniform guidelines and standards are often rather based on tradition than on evidence. The aim of this large prospective study was to examine the association of presence, duration, type, number and location of drains with the risk of SSI in a contemporary and multicentric cohort of general, orthopedic trauma and vascular surgery procedures.

Interventions

PROCEDUREInsertion of drainage

Study design

Observational model

COHORT

Time perspective

PROSPECTIVE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

ALL

Age

18 Years to No maximum

Healthy volunteers

Inclusion criteria

* Inpatients * Age 18 years or older * General, orthopedic trauma and vascular procedures * Surgical antimicrobial prophylaxis

Exclusion criteria

* outpatient surgery * Presence of a contraindication for cefuroxime and/or metronidazole * preexisting antibiotic therapy within 14 days prior to surgery * cognitive impairment * combined operations including other than the above specified surgical divisions * Emergency procedures with planned incision within 2 hours after indicating the procedure.

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame	Description
Surgical site infection	30 days	The occurrence of surgical site infection according to CDC criteria

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026