Background: Arteriovenous fistulae (AVF) are preferred for dialysis access but require accurate cannulation for effective dialysis. Evidence supports improvements in cannulation and complication rates using ultrasound guidance (USG) in cannulating other sites. This mixed methods, randomised controlled trial aimed to assess effects of USG during AVF cannulation. Methods: Participants with difficult to cannulate AVF had each cannulation event randomised to USG or standard technique (no USG). The primary outcome was the incidence and number of additional needle passes. Secondary outcomes included: the incidence and number of additional skin punctures; time to achieve two needle cannulation; pain associated with cannulation; local complications. Qualitative outcomes were assessed using patient and staff questionnaires. Results: Thirty-two participants had 346 cannulation events randomised (170 to USG and 176 to standard cannulation). USG resulted in a significant reduction in additional needle passes (72 vs 99 p = 0.007) and additional skin punctures (10 vs 25 p = 0.016.) but prolonged time to cannulation ( p > 0.001). There was no difference in pain score ( p = 0.705) or complications between groups. Questionnaires demonstrated that USG cannulation is acceptable to patients and staff. Conclusion: USG cannulation of AVF is more accurate and no more painful than non-image guided cannulation, but prolonged time to cannulation. Some of the excess time involved may be due to the trial being performed early in cannulating staff’s learning curve with the USG technique. Further work to elucidate which patients gain most benefit from USG cannulation and the effect of USG on cannulation complications and AVF patency is warranted.

A surgical site infection (SSI) may occur in up to 30% of procedures and results in significant morbidity and mortality. We aimed to assess the feasibility of conducting a randomised controlled trial (RCT) examining the use of dialkylcarbamoylchloride (DACC)-impregnated dressings, which bind bacteria at the wound bed, in the prevention of SSI in primarily closed incisional wounds. This pilot RCT recruited patients undergoing clean or clean-contaminated vascular surgery. Participants were randomised intraoperatively on a 1:1 basis to either a DACC-coated dressing or a control dressing. Outcomes were divided into feasibility and clinical outcomes. The primary clinical outcome was SSI at 30 days (assessed using Centers for Disease Control criteria and Additional treatment, Serous discharge, Erythema, Purulent exudate, Separation of the deep tissues, Isolation of bacteria and duration of inpatient Stay scoring methods). This study recruited 144 patients in 12 months at a median rate of 10 per month. Eligibility was 73% and recruitment 60%. At 30 days, there was a 36.9% relative risk reduction in the DACC-coated arm (16.22% versus 25.71%, odds ratio 0.559, P = 0.161). The number needed to treat was 11 patients. A large-scale RCT is both achievable and desirable given the relative risk reduction shown in this study. Further work is needed to improve the study protocol and involve more centres in a full-scale RCT.

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BackgroundSurgical site infection in vascular surgery has a reported incidence of up to 19%. A novel method of reducing this rate of infection is dressings coated with dialkylcarbamoylchloride (DACC), a hydrophobic wound contact layer that binds bacteria and removes them from the wound bed. Early research has suggested that DACC-coated wound dressings are effective in reducing surgical site infection when applied to wounds healing by primary intention post-operatively, therefore this trial aims to assess the feasibility of producing high-quality evidence assessing this theory.MethodsPatients undergoing clean or clean-contaminated vascular surgery will be randomised to have their surgical wounds dressed with a DACC-coated dressing or a non-coated occlusive absorbent post-operative dressing. All other aspects of their peri-operative care will be standardised or carried out in line with hospital policy. Wound assessments will be carried out between day 5–7, day 30 (± 3 days) and 6 months post-operatively (± 7 days) by a blinded assessor using the ASEPSIS scoring tool. Quality of life data using EQ-5D and SF-36, resource use and mortality data will also be collected. This feasibility trial will dictate the conduct of a full-scale trial through the collection of data on recruitment and retention rates, and fitness-for-purpose of the follow-up arrangements.DiscussionSurgical site infections are now the second most common hospital acquired infections with a significant cost implication. The aim of the DRESSINg trial is to investigate the effectiveness of a novel preventative measure at reducing wound infections post-surgery and will provide robust evidence to support or deny its use.Trial registrationClinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT02992951, Registered 12/12/16. REC Reference: 16/LO/2135.