The Use of 2-Octylcyanoacrylate Dressing in Reducing the Risk of Superficial Surgical Site Infections in Colorectal Stoma Surgery: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Background: Superficial surgical site infection (SSI) is a common morbidity following bowel resection surgery involving stoma formation with clinical and financial implications. The study aimed to evaluate the role of topical skin adhesive, 2-octylcyanoacrylate (Dermabond®) (2-OCA) in reducing wound infections following colorectal stoma surgery. Methods: We performed a retrospective, single-centre, cohort study using clinical notes. All patients, over the age of 18, undergoing bowel resection either elective or emergency, with stoma formation over five years from January 2015 to December 2019 were included. The primary endpoint was SSI, defined by the clinical manifestation of inflammation including pain, erythema, and discharge, regardless of the microbiological culture results. Patients received either 2-OCA glue as wound dressing or standard firm adhesive wound dressing e.g. Opsite. Results: Overall, 604 patients were included in the study. The median age was 67; 187 (31%) patients received Dermabond (Group 1) and 417 (69%) received standard care (Group 2). A total of 288 (47%) patients were female, 134 (22%) had body mass index (BMI) greater than 30, 87 (14%) were diabetic, and 90 (15%) were smokers. A total of 279 (46%) patients had an American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score of 3 and 4; 282 (47%) patients went through emergency surgery, 279 (64%) patients underwent dirty surgery, and 220 (35%) patients developed SSI. BMI greater than 30 compared to < 30 (OR: 2.32, 95% CI: 1.54-3.49, p<0.0001), diabetes compared to no diabetes (OR: 0.54, 95% CI: 0.32-0.92, p<0.0241), dirty surgery compared to clean surgery (OR: 2.26, 95% CI: 1.51-3.37, p<0.0001) and standard care, no 2-OCA glue use compared to the use of 2-OCA glue (OR: 1.52, 95% CI: 1.03-2.24, p=0.0343) were associated with SSIs. Conclusion: Our study demonstrates that there is an association between 2-OCA and reduced SSIs in bowel resection surgery involving stoma formation when compared to standard methods of wound dressing. Further randomised clinical trials are recommended to strengthen this evidence and demonstrate causation.