Npwt negative pressure wound therapy

NPWT dressing:

The best pressure for wound healing appears to be approximately 125 mm Hg, using an alternating pressure cycle of 5 minutes of suction followed by 2 minutes off suction.

Animal studies have demonstrated that this technique:

• Optimises blood flow in the wound bed
• Decreases local tissue swelling
• Removes excessive fluid that can slow cell growth and proliferation in the wound bed
• Decreases the numbers of bacteria.

Additionally, intermittent low pressure alters the structure of the cells in the wound bed, triggering a cascade of intracellular signals that increase the rate of cell division and the formation of granulation tissue.

When to use:

The main reasons for using a mains-powered negative-pressure wound therapy unit are:

• Acute surgical and traumatic wounds
• Subacute and dehisced wounds
• Pressure ulcers
• Chronic and open wounds (e.g., venous stasis ulcers and diabetic foot ulcers)
• Meshed grafts, to secure the graft in place and/or to accelerate the epithelialisation of the donor site
• An adjunct to skin grafts/flap procedures.

A battery-powered ambulant negative-pressure unit is recommended for:

• Venous stasis ulcers
• Lower extremity ulcers
• Pressure ulcers
• Lower extremity flaps
• Dehisced incisions i.e. a condition where the wound has a premature opening or splitting along natural or surgical suture lines due to improper healing
• Grafts.

Application:

NPWT dressing is used if you have a burn, pressure ulcer, diabetic ulcer, chronic (long-lasting) wound, or injury. This therapy can help your wound heal faster and with fewer infections.

You might need this therapy for a recent traumatic wound. Or you may need it for a chronic wound. This is a wound that is not healing properly over time. This can happen with wounds linked to diabetes. You may need a wound VAC if you’ve had a recent skin graft. And you may need a wound VAC for a large wound. Large wounds can take a longer time to heal.