Table 1.
Baseline characteristics and perioperative information in women treated with either incisional negative pressure wound therapy (iNPWT) or standard postoperative dressing (SPD) after caesarean section
| Characteristics | iNPWT (n = 432) | SPD (n = 444) |
|---|---|---|
| Maternal agea | 32 ± 5 | 32 ± 5 |
| Prepregnancy BMI, kg/m2 b | 34.7 (31.5–38.2) | 34.2 (31.6–38.1) |
| Diabetes | ||
| Prepregnancy diabetes | 11 (2.6%) | 11 (2.5%) |
| Gestational diabetes | 65 (15.1%) | 69 (15.5%) |
| Nonspecific diabetes | 4 (0.9%) | 10 (2.3%) |
| Smoking during pregnancy | 30 (6.9%) | 37 (8.3%) |
| Nulliparous | 177 (41.0%) | 179 (40.3%) |
| Singleton pregnancy | 418 (96.8%) | 428 (96.4%) |
| Rupture of membranes | ||
| Prelabour (PROM) | 33 (7.6%) | 30 (6.8%) |
| During labour | 22 (5.1%) | 34 (7.7%) |
| Prior caesarean section | 188 (43.5%) | 191 (43.0%) |
| Type of caesarean section | ||
| Elective | 229 (52.9%) | 235 (53.0%) |
| Emergency | 203 (47.1%) | 209 (47.0%) |
| Uterus closure | ||
| One layer | 312 (72.2%) | 319 (71.8%) |
| More than one layer | 120 (27.8%) | 125 (28.2%) |
| Closure of the subcutaneous layersc | 274 (63.4%) | 279 (62.8%) |
| Skin closure | ||
| Skin staples | 260 (60.2%) | 264 (59.5%) |
| Absorbable sutures | 172 (39.8%) | 180 (40.5%) |
| Estimated perioperative blood loss in mlb | 450 (300–700) | 500 (300–700) |
| Duration of surgery in minutesb | 36 (30–45) | 36 (29–45) |
BMI, body mass index.
a
Mean ± standard deviation;
b
Median (interquartile range).
c
3% in the intervention group and 5% in the control group had missing data for this variable.