Publication details
Does negative pressure wound therapy reduce wound infection?
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2014 |
| Type | Conference abstract |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Description | Purpose A prospective study of 70 patients with infected wounds treated using negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT). Method Seventy patients from January 2010 to December 2013 with a median age 62 years (5-95% percentiles: 23-85 years), with infected wounds of 8 cm × 5 cm to 38 cm × 35 cm and hospitalised because of wounds to the abdomen, chest, limb or sacral area were included in this prospective study. Material was obtained from the wound using a swab before, during and after NPWT to determine the level and profile of bacteria present. Results No mortalities occurred and the wounds healed accompanied by a reduced wound bacterial load, with an improvement achieved in >20% of the cases, although Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli remained present during and after NPWT treatment. Thus NPWT could be recommended for application to infected exuding wounds. Interestingly, NPWT treatment was age-dependent, with patients ?60 years compared to those of <60 years receiving significantly longer NPWT treatment (median 18 [4-45] days and 11 [4-34] days, respectively; p = 0.034), with more frequent dressing changes (median 4 and 3 days, respectively) and remained significantly longer in hospital (median 49 [15-114] days and 29 [7-100] days, respectively; p = 0.003). Conclusion NPWT can be used in a wide range of cases to reduce wound bacterial load. However, a positive cultivation result does not necessarily mean it leads to a clinical manifestation. Therefore, this prospective study is unable to provide a clear yes or no answer. |