Effectiveness of moist dressings in wound healing after surgical suturing: A Bayesian network meta‐analysis of randomised controlled trials

Abstract The moist healing theory proves that a moderately moist and airtight environment is conducive to wound healing. However, different moist dressings have different functions. We aim to evaluate the effects of moist dressings on wound healing after surgical suturing and identify superior moist dressings. Randomised controlled trials investigating the application of moist dressings were retrieved from electronic databases, including PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library. Wound healing, surgical site infection (SSI), and times of dressing change were assessed. The values of the surface under the cumulative ranking (SUCRA) curve were calculated based on the Bayesian network meta‐analysis. Inconsistency tests and funnel plots were applied to analyse the consistency and publication bias. All the analysis complies with the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analyses) 2020 Checklist and AMSTAR (Assessing the Methodological Quality of Systematic Reviews) Guidelines. Sixteen randomised controlled trials involving 4444 patients were pooled in the network meta‐analysis. The ionic silver dressing (SUCRA, 93%) ranked first in wound healing, the metallic silver dressing (SUCRA, 75.9%) ranked first in SSI, and the hydrocolloid dressing (SUCRA, 73.9%) ranked first in times of dressing change. Inconsistency was only observed in wound healing, and no publication bias was observed in this study. The effects of moist dressings are better than gauze dressings in the process of wound healing. The ionic silver dressing is effective in wound healing, whereas the metallic silver dressing is effective in SSI prevention. The hydrocolloid dressing requires the fewest times of dressing change. More high‐quality RCTs are required to support the network meta‐analysis.