Outcomes of a Portable Single Use Negative Pressure Wound Therapy (NPWT) Trial

Background: The delivery of best practice, evidence based wound care is largely dependent on the ability of clinicians to keep well-informed on current and constantly evolving technologies. The use of Negative Pressure Wound Therapy (NPWT) by clinicians to heal wounds (particularly complex wounds or recalcitrant wounds) has significantly increased over the past decade. The most recent technological development includes the availability of a portable, single use, disposable NPWT unit.

Problem: Interest in the portable NPWT has been expressed across acute care and community care; however, no measured results exist for patient ease of use and patient comfort/conformability.

Objective: Measured outcomes of topics will demonstrate the ability of the portable NPWT to succeed across all facades of the Canadian Health Care system offering healing ability, patient comfort and ease of use for the clinician. Portable NPWT was trialed across a six month span on acute care patients in Ontario and in the community. A measurement tool recorded measurable outcomes (healability, conformability, patient comfort and ease of application) throughout the trial on several types of wounds including surgical wounds and venous leg ulcers.

Solution: The results of this trial indicated that patients on portable NPWT significantly reduced healing time, reported a high degree of conformability, increased patient comfort and a was significantly easier to use than conventional NPWT. It is hoped that studies of this type will allow for enhanced clinician education, patient safety and prove beneficial to facilities.