Topical vancomycin powder for the prevention of surgical site infections in spinal deformity surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Purpose

To assess the effectiveness and safety of topical vancomycin powder (VP) in preventing surgical site infections (SSIs) in spinal deformity surgeries.

Methods

A literature search was conducted on Web of Science, PubMed, and Cochrane Library databases for comparative studies of VP in spinal deformity surgeries published before February 2024. Two reviewers independently screened eligible articles based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria, assessed study quality, and extracted data. Data analysis was performed using Review Manager 5.4 software.

Results

Of all 143 papers screened, a meta-analysis was conducted on 10 articles, which included a total of 8,166 surgeries. The results of the meta-analysis indicated that the incidence of deep SSI in VP group was 0.28 times that in non-VP group (p < 0.001). In the subgroup analysis, VP treatment significantly reduced the risk of deep SSI in both adult spinal deformity (ASD) (RR 0.40, 95% CI 0.21–0.77, p = 0.006) and pediatric scoliosis (PS) (RR 0.25, 95% CI 0.16–0.38, p < 0.001) surgeries. However, this effect was not observed in neuromuscular scoliosis (NMS) patients (RR 0.66, 95% CI 0.26–1.66, p = 0.38). Bacterial culture results indicated that VP treatment significantly reduced polymicrobial infections (p = 0.007) and gram-positive infections (p = 0.001).

Conclusion

From the literature available at present, VP was associated with reduced deep SSIs rates in spinal deformity patients. However, particular attention should be paid to the lack of the effectiveness of VP in NMS patients. The current literature did not report local cytotoxicity or renal toxicity related to VP in spinal deformity patients.