Background  Brucella spondylitis is an infectious allergic disease caused by Brucella. Its treatment methods are mainly divided into surgical treatment for debridement and conservative drug treatment. For the surgical incisions of patients with Brucella spondylitis are non-clean incisions, the wound will not heal after surgery.

  Objective  To analyze the factors associated with postoperative non-healing wound in patients with brucellosis spondylitis, and provide evidence to reduce the incidence of postoperative non-healing wound in this disease.

  Methods  Totally 94 patients with Brucella spondylitis who underwent surgical treatment in our hospital from January 2013 to January 2018 were enrolled in this study. The patients' basic information and perioperative information were recorded. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the risk factors of wound non-healing in patients with Brucella spondylitis.

  Results  Of the 94 cases (54 males and 40 females, average age of 47.36±7.32 years old), wound non-healing was found in 13 patients (13.83%). Age (OR: 1.135, 95% CI: 1.032-1.248, P=0.009), combined diabetes (OR: 9.020, 95% CI: 1.294-62.885, P=0.026), extent of resection of involved site (OR: 20.911, 95% CI: 1.908-229.141, P=0.013) and blood albumin level (OR: 0.776, 95% CI: 0.664-0.907, P=0.001) were risk factors of postoperative non-healing wound in patients with Brucella spondylitis.

  Conclusion  Elderly patients, combined diabetes, incomplete resection of involved site and decreased blood albumin levels are risk factors for postoperative wound non-healing of Brucella spondylitis. Reasonable choice of surgical indications is the key to reduce incidence of wound non-healing after operation.