What is Negative Pressure Wound Therapy?

Introduction to Negative Pressure Wound Therapy

Introduction to Negative Pressure Wound Therapy

Negative Pressure wound therapy is an adjuvant treatment for wounds, which has attracted widespread attention in European and American countries in recent years. Negative Pressure wound therapy uses the suction principle to control the negative pressure or vacuum suction machine to maintain a negative pressure vacuum state between the wound and the dressing, and to reduce the wound area. Moreover, it drains the wound exudate and infectious substances by collecting them in the collection canister or enabling it to be directly absorbed by the dressing.

Application and Benefits of Negative Pressure Wound Therapy

Negative Pressure wound therapy is commonly used in flap transplantation, complex acute wounds, surgical wounds, chronic wounds, burns, skin ulcers and etc. The use of Negative Pressure wound therapy can achieve the following:

  • Promote wound healing: Negative Pressure wound therapy can keep the wound in a closed and moist environment, reduce the edema of surrounding tissues, improve peripheral blood circulation, and have the proliferation of granulation tissue to achieve wound healing and recovery.

  • Prevent infection: The bacteria in the environment become isolated while the continuous suction of wound exudate in a single direction also helps to reduce the probability of wound infection.

  • Reduce frequency of dressing changes and discomfort: At the same time, it reduces the frequency of dressing changes and the discomfort faced by patients during dressing changes. For this reason, negative pressure wound therapy is considered to be able to further cut down on medical manpower and resources.

Wound Types Unsuitable for Negative Pressure Wound Therapy

In Taiwan, Negative Pressure wound therapy is commonly applied to chronic wounds (generally referring to wounds that fail to heal within a month) such as diabetic wounds, pressure sores, bedsores, etc., due to the subsidies provided by Taiwan’s NHI system. But not all wounds are suitable for Negative Pressure wound therapy. These include the following:

  • Untreated osteomyelitis
  • Parenteral or unexplored fistula
  • Eschar (black wound)
  • Exposed blood vessels, nerves, tendons, and bones
  • Exposed wounds at vascular junctions
  • Exposed bone or tendon wound
  • Wound with malignant tumor

Professional assessments by physicians and good doctor-patient communication are crucial in achieving the best results for wound healing during the pre, middle, and post stages of Negative Pressure Wound Therapy.

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