Negative Pressure Wound Therapy—An Effective, Minimally Invasive Therapeutic Modality in Burn Wound Management

Abstract

Despite the advancement in burn therapy in the last decades the treatment of burn wounds still remains a challenging task. Infection is still a common complication; while sepsis remains the leading cause of death in severe burns. The research guided integration of new and effective techniques in burn wound management is mandatory. Negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) is an effective and widely used technique in the management of problematic wounds. Previously existing indications include soft tissue traumas and chronic wounds such as diabetic, arterial, venous and pressure ulcers. The characteristics and challenges of these wounds have a lot in common with burns. Since the early 2000’s there are experiences with the use of NPWT for the healing of second degree burn wounds. Our clinical experience shows that it is a minimally invasive and effective way of improving burn wound management. In this article we give a review of the literature showing the mechanisms, unmapped future opportunities, financial issues, and possible adverse effects of NPWT in burn therapy.