Prevention of surgical wound infection in obese women undergoing cesarean section:a randomised controlled trial

Aim: Obese women undergoing caesarean section are at increased risk of surgical wound infection, which may lead to reduced quality of life, and increased health care cost. The aim is to evaluate the effect of incisional Negative Pressure Wound Therapy applied prophylactically in obese women undergoing caesarean section.Method: This study is designed as an unblinded, randomised trial. Women with a pre-gestational BMI ≥30 undergoing planned or emergency caesarean section are allocated into one of two groups (incisional Negative Pressure Wound Therapy vs. standard dressing), stratified by centre and type of caesarean section. The dressing is applied immediately following the surgical procedure. In the intervention group the therapy will be left in situ for five days. In the control group the dressing will be left in situ for at least 24 hours as standard procedure. Follow-up is 30 days.Conclusion: The study is on-going. We expect to find a 50% reduction of wound infection when using iNPWT compared to standard dressings in this high-risk subpopulation.