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CompletedNCT07866157Updated Oct 15, 2026

Efficacy of Intrawound Vancomycin in Spine Surgery

A Phase 3 interventional study of vancomycin and Standard surgical closure in Surgical Site Infection (SSI) and Spine Diseases, sponsored by Ain Shams University. Completed at 1 site in Egypt. Open to participants aged 15 Years to 78 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-10-15.

Sponsored by Ain Shams University · Phase 3, Interventional, and Prevention

From the registry’s dates

  • Registered 2 years 10 months after the study started (first participant enrolled Dec 2023, registered Oct 2026).
Updated Oct 15, 2026Eligibility revisedNewly registeredGo to Updates ↓
Phase
Phase 3
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
416
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
15 Years to 78 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

"This multicenter, prospective, time-cluster randomized controlled trial with blinded endpoint assessment (PROBE design) evaluated the efficacy of intrawound vancomycin powder (2 g) in preventing surgical site infections (SSI) following spine surgeries. The study included 416 patients who were allocated using alternating monthly time-clusters (25 months) to receive either standard care with topical vancomycin or standard care alone (control). The primary endpoint, the incidence of 90-day SSI, was evaluated by blinded clinical assessors to minimize bias."

Read the detailed description

This study was designed to overcome the logistical challenges of individual randomization within operating rooms by utilizing a time-cluster allocation approach. Over a 25-month period, alternating months were designated as either intervention or control clusters. The vancomycin group included 207 patients, and the standard care control group included 209 patients. Baseline demographic and clinical characteristics, including age, sex, smoking status, and diabetes mellitus, were statistically balanced between the two cohorts.

Patients in the active cluster received 2 grams of vancomycin powder applied directly to the subfascial and deep layers prior to wound closure. Patients in the control cluster received standard surgical closure without topical antibiotics. All participants were followed for up to 90 days post-operatively.

To minimize detection bias in this open-label surgical intervention, a Prospective Randomized Open, Blinded End-point (PROBE) design was strictly enforced. All primary and secondary infection outcomes were independently evaluated and diagnosed by clinical assessors who were completely blinded to the patients' cluster allocation and treatment status.

02

Conditions studied

  • Surgical Site Infection (SSI)
  • Spine Diseases

Keywords

  • Intrawound Vancomycin
  • Topical Antibiotics
  • Spine Surgery
  • Surgical Prophylaxis
03

In context

Surgical Wound Infection

687 studies on the registry are indexed under Surgical Wound Infection; 142 are open to participants now.

This study's enrollment of 416 is above the median of 200 across 526 interventional studies indexed under Surgical Wound Infection.

Browse Surgical Wound Infection studies →

Lead sponsor

Ain Shams University is the lead sponsor of 1,930 studies on the registry; 433 are open to participants now.

Of its 33 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 0 (0%) have results posted.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
15 Years to 78 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.

Inclusion criteria

  • Adult patients undergoing elective open posterior instrumented spine surgery.
  • Patients willing to participate and provide informed consent.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Presence of active systemic infection or local infection at the surgical site prior to surgery.
  • Known allergy or hypersensitivity to vancomycin.
  • Patients undergoing minimally invasive spine surgery (MISS) without formal open exposure.
  • Previous history of surgical site infection in the spine.
05

Study design

Phase
Phase 3
Primary purpose
Prevention
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
Single (Outcomes assessor)
Enrollment
416 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Intrawound Vancomycin Group

    Patients operated on during the intervention time-clusters received 2 grams of intrawound vancomycin powder applied topically to the deep and subfascial layers prior to wound closure.

    Drug: vancomycin

  • Active comparator
    Control Group (Standard Care)

    Patients operated on during the control time-clusters received standard surgical site preparation and standard wound closure without the application of topical intrawound antibiotics.

    Procedure: Standard surgical closure

Interventions

  • Application of 2 grams of intrawound vancomycin powder topically to the deep and subfascial layers prior to wound closure.

    Also known as: vancomycin 2 gram

  • ProcedureStandard surgical closure

    Standard surgical site preparation and standard wound closure without the application of topical intrawound antibiotics.

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. INCIDENCE OF SURGICAL SITE INFECTION (SSI)

    The primary outcome is the occurrence of any superficial, deep, or organ/space surgical site infection (SSI) following the index spine surgery. SSI is diagnosed and classified according to the standard criteria set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

    Time frame: UP TO 90 DAYS

Secondary outcomes

  1. Depth of Surgical Site Infection (SSI)

    Classification of the surgical site infection according to the depth of tissue involvement (superficial incisional, deep incisional, or organ/space), based on the standard Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) criteria.

    Time frame: UP TO 90 DAYS

  2. Microbiological Profile of Surgical Site Infections

    Identification of the causative bacterial organisms in patients who develop a surgical site infection (SSI). This includes analyzing the incidence of specific pathogens (e.g., Gram-positive bacteria such as MRSA, and Gram-negative bacteria) isolated from deep wound cultures.

    Time frame: Up to 90 days post-operatively

07

Study locations

1 site
  • Ain Shams University Hospitals.
    Cairo, 11511, Egypt
08

References and documents

Individual participant data

Plan to share: Undecided

No publications or documents are linked to this record.

09

Timeline

2 registry updates since Sep 25, 2026
ElapsedEstimatedEstimated, not yet reachedSimilar studies: half by the dot; the band is the middle halfHalf of similar studies reached it by the dot; the band is the middle half, from a quarter to three quarters

Ran from Dec 2023 to primary completion in May 2026, 29 months.

Of 35 phase 3 interventional studies under Surgical Wound Infection, half reached primary completion within 33 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 19 and three quarters within 53. This study's 29 months is below that.

How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.

Registered
Oct 4, 2026
First posted
Oct 8, 2026
StartActual
Dec 2, 2023
Primary completionActual
May 2, 2026
CompletionActual
Jun 2, 2026
Last update
Oct 15, 2026
What these dates mean
Start.
When the first participant enrolled; while estimated, when the study expects to open to recruitment.
Primary completion.
When the last participant was examined or treated to collect data for the study's main question, its primary outcome. A study that stopped early gives the date its data collection stopped.
Completion.
When the last participant's last visit took place, for every outcome, secondary ones and side effects included: the end of the study. Often later than primary completion, sometimes the same day.
Actual and Est.
Actual means the registry says the date has happened. Est. (estimated) is a date the sponsor plans or expects. It can still move, and the sponsor is expected to change it to actual once it has passed.
Also revised
eligibility
Registered
First appeared on the registry
Oct 8, 2026
Show all 2 updates
  1. Oct 15, 2026
    Eligibility Minimum age 18 Years→15 Years
    + 3 other changes: identifiers, description and design details
  2. Oct 8, 2026
    First appeared on the registry

From the registry record's own update history. This site started tracking changes on Sep 25, 2026; for anything earlier, see the record history on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT07866157
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Oct 8, 2026
Start date
Dec 2, 2023
Primary completion
May 2, 2026
Completion
Jun 2, 2026
Last update
Oct 15, 2026

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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Studies of the drug tested here: Vancomycin

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