Postoperative wounds

Sorbact dressings for postoperative wounds

Surgical site infections (SSIs) are a huge health problem worldwide. SSI is a common postoperative complication in vascular, obstetric, gynecologic, gastric, thoracic, and cardiovascular surgery. It prolongs hospitalization and contributes to significant morbidity and mortality.^{[1]View reference information} ^{[2]View reference information}

Read more about Sorbact in caesarean section

Don't forget the last step

Several actions are being taken to prevent surgical site infections, both preoperative, during and after the operation, e.g. pre-op disinfectants, two pairs of gloves and effective ventilation. However, one important factor that is often missed in the overall strategy is to reduce microbes at the incision site and the preventive and treatment role of using a suitable dressing. This is stated in the recent international guidelines (scroll down).

National Institute for Health and Care Excellence in UK

Sorbact is recommended by NICE^{[3]View reference information}

NICE medical technologies guidance mtg55 suggests that Leukomed Sorbact:

Reduces SSI in caesarean section and vascular surgery
May reduce antibiotic use
May reduce readmissions from wound complications
Could save the NHS up to £5.3 million per year for caesarean section and up to £1.2 million per year for vascular surgery
Cost savings are expected

Leukomed is a registered trademark of BSN Medical GmbH

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Cover of NICE medical technologies guidance mtg55.

EWMA document

Sorbact for preventing and managing SSI across health care sectors

In these international guidelines Sorbact is recommended across health care sectors.^{[4]View reference information} It can be used for infection prevention as well as for treating infected surgical wounds.

See table 9 – Wound dressings for the management of surgical wounds (page 33).

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Cover of the publication Surgical site infection.

Sorbact reduces the risk of infection in wounds

Sorbact bacteria and fungi binding dressings prevent and treat wound infections by lowering the bioburden.^{[5]View reference information} ^{[6]View reference information} Bacteria irreversibly bind and anchor to the unique Sorbact surface. Safe and effective removal of bacteria reduces the bioburden in wounds which facilitates the healing process. With the Sorbact mode of action, development of bacterial or fungal resistance is not expected.

Since there are no active agents released into the wound^{[7]View reference information}, Sorbact dressings can be used right from the start, in all patients, in the short-term or for prolonged treatment of already infected wounds.

Illustration of a Sorbact dressing binding bacteria to its surface.

Mobile phone showing Sorbact’s SSI cost calculator.

Calculate the potential value of preventing SSI

SSI has become a huge public health problem because it contributes to significant morbidity, mortality and financial consequences. An SSI is estimated to add approximately 3–21 days to a patient’s hospital stay. This results in additional treatment costing between 900€–7300€^{[8]View reference information}, depending on the type of surgery and severity of the infection.^{[9]View reference information} ^{[10]View reference information}

Estimate the cost of SSIs

Number of procedures per period

Current incidence of SSI

Potential incidence of SSI

Select a lower value than the current incidence

Average cost of an SSI

The cost of dressings (to protect and prevent infection) is not included in the calculation. It is often a minor part of the total.

SSI
Cost of SSI

Current

total number of SSIs

Current

total cost

Evidence on Sorbact in postoperative wounds

Proven to prevent and treat wound infection in more than 40 clinical studies and in publications including over 7,000 patients, Sorbact has more than 30 years of successful use in clinical practice. Today Sorbact is helping patients in over 65 countries around the world and we are continuing this important work by collecting clinical data.

Cohort study

Sorbact reduces the incidence of SSI in vascular surgery

A comparative study to assess the impact of Sorbact on the incidence of SSI in vascular surgery. 200 patients undergoing vascular surgery. Rate of SSI day 5-7:10% (Control) vs 1% (Sorbact) p=<0.01. Rate of SSI day 30: 19% (Control) vs 10% (Sorbact) p=0.11.

Bua N, Smith GE, et al. 2017. Dialkylcarbamoyl Chloride Dressings in the Prevention of Surgical Site Infections after Nonimplant Vascular Surgery. Ann Vasc Surg. 44:387-392. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.avsg.2017.03.198 (Opens in new tab)

90% risk reduction. Bar chart showing reduced incidence of surgical site infection (SSI) after vascular surgery with the use of Sorbact dressings compared to the control group, day 5–7 and day 30.

Published study

Sorbact prevents wound infections

A randomized controlled study among 543 patients undergoing elective or emergency caesarean section, comparing Sorbact Surgical Dressing to standard surgical dressing (1.8 % vs. 5.2 %) p=0.04.

Stanirowski PJ, Bizoń M, et al. 2016. Randomized Controlled Trial Evaluating Dialkylcarbamoyl Chloride Impregnated Dressings for the Prevention of Surgical Site Infections in Adult Women Undergoing Cesarean Section. Surg Infect (Larchmt). 17(4):427-435. doi.org/10.1089/sur.2015.223 (Opens in new tab)