European journal of vascular and endovascular surgery : the official journal of the European Society for Vascular Surgery
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Eur J Vasc Endovasc Surg · Feb 2005
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialThe value of suction wound drain after carotid and femoral artery surgery: a randomised trial using duplex assessment of the volume of post-operative haematoma.
The use of vacuum suction drains after carotid endarterectomy (CEA) and groin dissection for arterial reconstruction surgery remains controversial. A large multicentre prospective randomised trial would be needed to show any difference if clinical end points (infection and haematoma) are used. Therefore, we conducted a study to evaluate the value of wound drainage using accurate duplex measurement of haematoma expecting a 25% difference in volume between drained and non-drained wounds. ⋯ These results based on accurate measurement of wound collection suggest that there is no benefit in terms of reduction of the volume of haematoma on wound drainage after CEA or arterial reconstruction surgery involving the groin. A selective policy of use of drainage is therefore recommended.