Application of Powdered Vancomycin in the Surgical Wound in Haiti

Summary

Vancomycin, a tricyclic glycopeptide antibiotic, was originally indicated for the treatment of penicillin-resistant S. Aureus. It has a bactericidal action, inhibiting the biosynthesis of the cell wall of Gram-positive bacteria. Various studies have reported the application of intraoperative vancomycin powder to the wound prior to wound closure as a method of antibiotic prophylaxis. Intrasite administration of the drug should theoretically minimize rapid absorption into the systemic circulation, thereby reducing drug-associated side effects. The precipitated concentration gradient between the local wound and the scaffold should also reduce the occurrence of drug resistance. In Haiti, monitoring patients post-operatively is often difficult. The Mortality, Morbidity and Use of Services Survey (EMMUS-VI 2016-2017) reports that the non-use of a health facility is motivated in 58% of cases by the excessively high economic cost of care. Also, SSIs represent a challenge for clinicians. The best solution to the consequences of SSI in this context is prevention. In the present study, the investigator tested the hypothesis that the use of vancomycin powder in the surgical wound would decrease the occurrence of SSI.

Timeline

Start

2019-10-10

Primary completion

2021-10-10

Completion

2022-04-05

Publications

• Background Calderone RR, Garland DE, Capen DA, Oster H. Cost of medical care for postoperative spinal infections. Orthop Clin North Am. 1996 Jan;27(1):171-82.
• Background Graf K, Ott E, Vonberg RP, Kuehn C, Schilling T, Haverich A, Chaberny IF. Surgical site infections--economic consequences for the health care system. Langenbecks Arch Surg. 2011 Apr;396(4):453-9. doi: 10.1007/s00423-011-0772-0. Epub 2011 Mar 15.
• Background Sweet FA, Roh M, Sliva C. Intrawound application of vancomycin for prophylaxis in instrumented thoracolumbar fusions: efficacy, drug levels, and patient outcomes. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2011 Nov 15;36(24):2084-8. doi: 10.1097/BRS.0b013e3181ff2cb1.
• Background Zebala LP, Chuntarapas T, Kelly MP, Talcott M, Greco S, Riew KD. Intrawound vancomycin powder eradicates surgical wound contamination: an in vivo rabbit study. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2014 Jan 1;96(1):46-51. doi: 10.2106/JBJS.L.01257.
• Background O'Neill KR, Smith JG, Abtahi AM, Archer KR, Spengler DM, McGirt MJ, Devin CJ. Reduced surgical site infections in patients undergoing posterior spinal stabilization of traumatic injuries using vancomycin powder. Spine J. 2011 Jul;11(7):641-6. doi: 10.1016/j.spinee.2011.04.025. Epub 2011 May 19.
• Background Molinari RW, Khera OA, Molinari WJ 3rd. Prophylactic intraoperative powdered vancomycin and postoperative deep spinal wound infection: 1,512 consecutive surgical cases over a 6-year period. Eur Spine J. 2012 Jun;21 Suppl 4(Suppl 4):S476-82. doi: 10.1007/s00586-011-2104-z. Epub 2011 Dec 8.

Drugs

Indications

No indication recorded.