1 Recommendations

Guidance

1.1 Evidence supports the case for adopting Leukomed Sorbact for closed surgical wounds after caesarean section and vascular surgery.

1.2 Leukomed Sorbact should be considered as an option for people with wounds that are expected to have low to moderate exudate after caesarean section and vascular surgery. It should be used as part of usual measures to help reduce the risk of surgical site infection. More evidence is needed on the use of Leukomed Sorbact on wounds after other types of surgery.

1.3 Cost modelling shows that the reduced rate of surgical site infection with Leukomed Sorbact compared with standard surgical dressings leads to savings of:

£107 per person after caesarean section
£18 per person after vascular surgery.

By adopting this technology, the NHS may save up to £5.3 million per year for caesarean section and up to £1.2 million per year for vascular surgery. Cost savings are expected because fewer people will need to stay in hospital for treatment of surgical site infection. For more details, see the NICE resource impact report.

Why the committee made these recommendations

Leukomed Sorbact is an interactive dressing that binds to the microbes that cause surgical site infection so they are removed when the dressing is changed.

Evidence suggests that using Leukomed Sorbact instead of standard dressings after caesarean section and vascular surgery reduces the rate of surgical site infection and leads to cost savings. So Leukomed Sorbact is recommended for wounds expected to have low to moderate exudate.