Efficacy of powdered vancomycin in the prophylaxis of surgical site infections in posterior thoracic and/or lumbar spine surgery: a systematic review of randomized clinical trials with meta-analysis.
Epub Ahead of Print
Neurosurg Rev. 2025 01-Nov:. 10.1007/s10143-025-03963-7Study Summary
Five randomized controlled trials including 1677 patients undergoing posterior thoracic or lumbar spine surgery were included in this systematic review and meta-analysis comparing topical powdered vancomycin applied to the surgical wound versus standard surgical prophylaxis without vancomycin. Pooled outcomes of interest included incidence of surgical site infections (SSI) and evaluation of safety outcomes and microbiological profiles of infections. The pooled analysis demonstrated that powdered vancomycin significantly reduced surgical site infections, with 16 infections in the intervention group vs. 34 infections in the control group. Overall, the findings suggest that local application of vancomycin powder reduces SSI risk in thoracic and lumbar spine surgeries, although further research is needed to confirm long-term safety and broader applicability.
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