Effectiveness of negative pressure wound therapy as a dressing over open wounds-a comparative study

Background: Chronic wounds are a cause of increased morbidity as the expenditure incurred due to prolonged treatment is high. Negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) is a relatively new technique that converts an open wound into closed environment by applying intermittent negative pressure. A specialised wound dressing is applied to provide an airtight seal which isolates it from the external environment. The exudate from open wounds is removed through a sealed dressing and tubing which is connected to a collection chamber. This technique has revolutionised the care of acute and chronic wounds resulting from trauma, diabetic ulcers and non-specific causes.
Negative pressure technology subsequently became known by several trade names including vacuum assisted closure (VAC), topical negative pressure (TNP), Vacuum sealing technique (VST), and sealed surface wound suction (SSS). NPWT is commonly used in place of more traditional dressing technique using cotton gauze. It is an inexpensive product which can keep wounds clean and covered and absorbs exudate. NPWT is a better alternative that reduces infection and promotes early wound closure. In this study NPWT was used to determine their effect in healing process of acute and chronic wounds.
Materials And Methods: The study is designed to compare negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT), which is a newer non-invasive system, with conventional silver stream dressing in the treatment of acute and chronic wounds. In this prospective and open label study 60 patients were included and were divided into 2 groups, in which one group was given with the negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) and other group was given with silver stream solution. Data regarding wound size in cm, granulation tissue formation, effect of early wound closure were taken as output parameters of the study.
Results: Among 60 study subjects 30 were taken as a control group and 30 as study group. After observation and follow up negative pressure wound therapy group demonstrated significant reduction in wound size, granulation tissue formation and wound closure compared to silver stream solution.
Conclusion: Negative pressure wound therapy is a newer non-invasive system that uses controlled negative pressure to promote wound healing. It is a more dynamic alternative that enhances granulation tissue formation and reduces bacterial infection and promotes early wound closure. Early wound closure leads to decreased hospital stay, reduced antibiotic use and lower morbidity.