Objectives To systematically review the preventive effects of different pressure relief devices. Methods Databases including PubMed, The Cochrane Library, Web of Science, EMbase, CBM, CNKI, VIP and WanFang Data were searched to collect randomized control trials (RCTs) on the preventive effects of pressure relief devices for the surgical pressure sore from inception to December 2017. Two reviewers independently screened literature, extracted data and assessed risk of bias of included studies. Network meta-analysis was then performed using gemtc package of R 3.5.0 software, Stata 13.0 and JAGS 3.4.0 software. Results A total of 20 RCTs involving 4 183 patients were included. The network meta-analysis showed that micropulse dynamic pad was superior to standard pad. The gel pad was superior to sponge pad. The standard pad and cotton gauze pad. The foam dressing was superior to gel pad. All of the differences were statistically significant. The results of the ranking probability plot suggested foam dressing as an optimal resolution for preventing surgical pressure sore. Conclusions According to the network meta-analysis and rankings, foam dressing is superior to other decompression devices in preventing surgical pressure sores.