PICO◊ sNPWT* is the only NPWT system supported by NICE for prophylactic treatment of SSIs across a range of surgical specialisms1 – based on up-to-date meta-analysis, reinforced by independent clinical data and real-world evidence.1-6
PICO sNPWT. Leave nothing to chance.
In 2024, NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) reviewed the "Medical Technology Guidance 43" (Download NICE MTG43 PDF), which focuses on PICO negative pressure wound dressings for closed surgical incisions. The guidance highlights that Smith+Nephew’s PICO sNPWT delivers better clinical outcomes compared to standard dressings for patients at high risk of surgical site infections (SSIs), while maintaining similar overall costs 2.
As a result, it has reconfirmed its guidance following a review of an additional 28 papers published 2.
Surgical site infections (SSI) complicate up to 40% of surgical procedures, with SSI rates varying considerably by specialty, procedure type, duration of surgery, and urgency.7
SSI rates appear to be significantly underreported within national registries, owing to challenges in surveillance and diagnosis.7 The 2017 National Health Service (NHS) Getting It Right First Time Report in General Surgery highlighted that only 8% (4 out of 50) hospitals knew their incidence of SSI.8
Despite implementing modern surgical techniques, appropriate antibiotic prophylaxis, sterilization techniques, and aseptic and antiseptic practices, surgical site infections continue to pose a significant challenge.9
Although SSIs carry a substantial burden to health-care systems and service payers worldwide in terms of patient morbidity, mortality, and additional costs, SSIs are among the most preventable health-care-associated infections 10.
For some high-risk patients, an SSI can become an obstacle to their recovery. Therefore, the identification of pre-operative risk factors for patients at elevated risk of surgical site complications, is important when considering the prophylactic use of PICO sNPWT.
The definition of a high-risk patient varies depending on the surgical specialty, however the experts at NICE advised that there were a number of factors associated with an increased risk of SSI including:
Play our risk stratification game to identify if your patients could be at increased risk of SSC.
University Hospital Bristol's cardiac surgery department implemented an improvement initiative following a benchmarking exercise with Public Health England which identified a higher-than-expected surgical site infection (SSI) rate 11.
To address these rates, the department adopted PICO negative pressure wound dressings for high-risk patients, following NICE guidance MTG43, as part of an overall infection prevention strategy. This encompassed a tailored pathway and risk identification system to guide implementation11.
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