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Aim: Surgical site infection in colorectal surgery is associated with significant healthcare costs, which may be reduced by using a closed‐incision negative‐pressure therapy device. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of closed‐incision negative‐pressure therapy on the incidence of surgical site infection. Method: In this retrospective cohort study we evaluated all patients who had undergone high‐risk open colorectal surgery at a single tertiary care centre from 2012 to 2016. We compared the incidence of surgical site infection between those receiving standard postoperative wound care between 2012 and 2014 and those receiving closed‐incision negative‐pressure therapy via a customizable device (Prevena Incision Management System, KCI, an Acelity company, San Antonio, Texas, USA) between 2014 and 2016. A validated surgical site infection risk score was used to create a 1:1 matched cohort subset. Results: Negative pressure therapy was used in 77 patients and compared with 238 controls. Negative pressure patients were more likely to have a stoma (92% vs 48%, P < 0.01) and to be smokers (33% vs 15%, P < 0.01). Surgical site infection was higher in control patients (15%, n = 35/238) compared with negative pressure patients (7%, n = 5/77) (P = 0.05). On regression analysis, negative pressure therapy was associated with decreased surgical site infection (OR 0.27; 95% CI 0.09–0.78). These differences persisted in the matched analysis. Conclusion: Negative pressure therapy was associated with decreased surgical site infection. Negative pressure therapy offers significant potential for quality improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]