Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Meta-Analysis
. 2023 Jan;33(1):34-40.
doi: 10.1177/11207000211012669. Epub 2021 May 2.

Efficacy of hydrofibre dressing following total joint arthroplasty: a meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials

Raman Mundi  1 , Harman Chaudhry  1 , Seper Ekhtiari  2 , Prabjit Ajrawat  1 , Daniel M Tushinski  2 , Thomas J Wood  2 , Mohit Bhandari  2
Affiliations
Meta-Analysis

Efficacy of hydrofibre dressing following total joint arthroplasty: a meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials

Raman Mundi et al. Hip Int. 2023 Jan.

Abstract

Introduction: In the United States, over 1,000,000 total joint arthroplasty (TJA) surgeries are performed annually and has been forecasted that this number will exceed 4,000,000 by the year 2030. Many different types of dressing exist for use in TJA surgery, and it is unclear if any of the newer, hydrofibre dressings are superior to traditional dressings at reducing rates of infections or improving wound healing. Thus, the aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to assess the impact of hydrofiber dressings on reducing complications.

Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis was performed using the online databases MEDLINE and the Cochrane Library. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing hydrofibre dressings to a standard dressing were included. Summary measures are reported as odds ratios (ORs) and mean differences (MDs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Our primary outcome was prosthetic joint infection (PJI). Secondary outcomes included blisters, dressing changes and wound irritation.

Results: 5 RCTs were included. Hydrofibre dressing had no observable effect on PJI or wound irritation (OR 0.53; 95% CI, 0.14-1.98; p = 0.35). Hydrofibre dressings reduced the rate of blisters (OR 0.36; 95% CI, 0.14-0.90; p = 0.03) and number of dressing changes (MD -1.89; 95% CI, -2.68 to -1.11).

Conclusions: In conclusion, evidence suggests hydrofibre dressings have no observable effect on PJI and wound irritation. Evidence for reduction in blisters and number of dressings is modest given wide CIs and biased trial methodologies. Use of hydrofibre dressings should be considered inconclusive for mitigating major complications in light of current best evidence.

Keywords: arthroplasty; hydrofiber dressing; infection.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
PRISMA flow diagram for clinical review.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Cochrane risk of bias tool.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Pooled analysis for blisters.
Figure 4.
Figure 4.
Pooled analysis for wound irritation.
Figure 5.
Figure 5.
Pooled analysis for number of dressing changes.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Canadian Institute for Health Information. Hip and knee replacements in Canada, 2017–2018: Canadian Joint Replacement Registry Annual Report. Ottawa, ON: Canadian Institute for Health Information, 2019.
    1. Williams SN, Wolford ML, Bercovitz A. Hospitalization for total knee replacement among inpatients aged 45 and over: United States, 2000-2010. NCHS Data Brief 2015; 210: 1–8. - PubMed
    1. Wolford ML, Palso K, Bercovitz A. Hospitalization for total hip replacement among inpatients aged 45 and over: United States, 2000-2010. NCHS Data Brief 2015; 186: 1–8. - PubMed
    1. Kurtz S, Ong K, Lau E, et al. Projections of primary and revision hip and knee arthroplasty in the United States from 2005 to 2030. J Bone Joint Surg Am 2007; 89: 780–785. - PubMed
    1. Garbedian S, Sternheim A, Backstein D. Wound healing problems in total knee arthroplasty. Orthopedics 2011; 34: e516–518. - PubMed