The Use of Negative Pressure Wound Therapy in Burn Patients

Presenter(s)

Audrey Kuhn

Abstract or Description

Abstract 

Purpose: The use of Negative Pressure Wound Therapy (NPWT) is well known across medicine and does have its place in the burn treatment. However, the connection between NPWT and skin grafts specifically has had much less attention. Whether they are considered minor or major, burns affect over half a million people in the United States alone, and around 150,000 individuals worldwide die annually from burns. Improving the burn treatment plan is vital to decreasing the number of deaths and lifelong disability from these injuries. This research was conducted to determine if the use of negative pressure wound therapy in comparison to traditional burn care/debridement affected the outcome of skin grafts in burn patients. 

Methods: Databases searched included PubMed and Elsevier. In total, 10 articles were selected to be used. Out of the included articles three were Systematic reviews or meta-analysis, one was a randomized controlled trial, and the other six were case-control or cohort studies. 

Results: Studies contained in these ten articles focused on skin graft take rate, the use of NPWT as a bolster dressing, patient pain rating, and infection rates. Across all articles, skin graft take rate was 96.7% or greater, and the use of NPWT to prepare the wound bed reduced skin graft rejection, decreasing the need for regrafting. Additionally, NPWT helped reduce patient reported pain scores, and the infection rates were significantly reduced. 

Recommendations: While more controlled trials need to occur, the current information in literature suggests that NPWT should be included in burn treatment guidelines as both a bridge to skin grafting and a postoperative dressing. Using NPWT prior to grafting helps to create an optimal wound bed, and postoperatively, NPWT helps with graft adherence while providing an optimal environment for promoting reepithelialization and healing. 

Mentor

Janna Edrington and Angela Kueny