Negative-Pressure Wound Therapy for the Management of Complex Surgical Wounds in a Minority Population.

Abstract

Introduction Negative-pressure wound therapy (NPWT) has been used for decades as an established treatment modality for complex wounds, now commonplace in hospitals and various clinical and outpatient settings. Several studies have noted improved healing outcomes with this device, but the current state of literature is in debate on both clinical and economic effectiveness. The use of NPWT can become expensive, largely because of the complexity of wounds and the need for outpatient management, from which a majority of the benefit is derived. This creates a disparity in access to this therapy. A lack of insurance and limited access to healthcare that is present in minority populations contribute to this inequality. Methods We reviewed the clinical courses of eight patients who were treated with NPWT at a single acute care facility in an underserved area caring for a minority population. Results We describe several different anatomic wounds along with details including the size of wounds, number of debridements, length of hospital stay, duration of treatment, and ensuing courses of the minority patients who received NPWT for the entire duration of their wound care course. Conclusions This case series demonstrates desirable wound healing outcomes with the use of NPWT in the minority population. The authors draw attention to the outpatient benefit of this device that may be lost in those with limited insurance in minority populations and seek to encourage further studies in this population in resource-limited settings to determine its true clinical effectiveness.