Factors influencing treatment success of negative pressure wound therapy in patients with postoperative infections after Osteosynthetic fracture fixation

Table 1 List of influencing parameters and outcome parameters defined in this study

Influencing parameters (Independent variables)	• Patient parameters: sex, age, co-morbidities, metabolic diseases (kidney diseases, liver diseases, diabetes mellitus) • Infection parameters: initial C-reactive protein (CRP), maximum CRP, discharge CRP (≤ 20 mg/l blood versus >20 mg/l)^a, time of infection, extent of infection (superficial/deep), time point of infection (early [detected up to 4 weeks after surgery] or late onset [detected more than four weeks after surgery]), soft-tissue damage (according to the Tscherne and Oestern classification) • Germal parameters: bacterial mixture, identification of bacteria, change in microbial strain during treatment, gram stain, bacterial metabolism (aerobic/anaerobic), bacterial load (Group 1 – very high contamination, Group 2- numerous bacteria, Group 3-isolated bacteria, Group 4-bacteria detectable after enhancement) • Treatment parameters: Intensive care unit-stay, number of lavages until eradication, re-infection
Outcome parameters (Dependent variables)	• cure of infection • type of wound closure • preservation or survival of the implant

^aCRP-discharge’ was calculated as CRP ≤20 mg/l blood versus >20 mg/l blood at the time of discharge or a change in the infecting bacterial species under therapy

ISSN: 1471-2474