Demonstrating negative pressure wound therapy in the management of non-healing surgical wounds: a case series

What is it about?

Background Wounds continue to be of global concern, amid a lack of widespread adoption of evidence-based practice (EBP). Negative Pressure Wound Therapy (NPWT) is supported by a wealth of evidence and has been widely adopted to manage a broad range of wound indications. This case series demonstrates the safe and effective use of single use NPWT (sNPWT) in the management of non-healing surgical wounds, alongside optimised wound care strategies and interventions. Aim To present how adopting sNPWT to manage non-healing surgical wounds, alongside a holistic approach to patient care can improve the clinical outcomes. Management and outcomes Five case studies are presented from hospital and community healthcare settings. All patients had non-healing surgical wounds, and all received treatment with sNPWT; length of therapy days varied between 19 and 91 days. Following treatment with NPWT, three wounds healed, one reached near full approximation of wound edges, and one was managed palliatively with marked improvement in quality-of-life outcomes. Conclusion In all five cases, the non-healing surgical wounds, either healed or improved substantially when treated with an evidence-based approach incorporating sNPWT alongside optimised wound care strategies and interventions. Implications for clinical practice Holistic patient-centered care in conjunction with sNPWT may improve outcomes for patients experiencing non-healing surgical wounds.

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