A Single Center Retrospective Evaluation of a Surgical Strategy to Combat Persistent Soft Tissue Wounds Utilizing Absorbable Antibiotic Beads

To determine whether use of absorbable antibiotic-imbued beads in chronic soft tissue wounds presents a viable therapeutic modality. Retrospective analysis of all cases utilizing calcium sulfate antibiotic beads was conducted. Cases comprised complex wound and breast reconstruction performed by the senior author (C.P.D.) over 4 years at the University of New Mexico Hospital. All-cause need for reoperation and reoperation for infection in the 90 days following bead-assisted surgery were compared to traditional surgical intervention in the 90-day period preceding bead-assisted surgery. Paired-samples -test and corrected Cohen's were calculated for outcome significance and effect size. A total of 60 patients underwent 84 bead-assisted surgeries. There was a significant decrease in rate of reoperation following bead surgery (M = 0.32) compared with prebead surgery (M = 2.2),