Effects of Negative Pressure Wound Therapy on Healing of Open Wounds in Dogs

Abstract

NPWT accelerated appearance of smooth, nonexuberant granulation tissue; however, prolonged use of NPWT impaired wound contraction and epithelialization.

Current Concepts in Negative Pressure Wound Therapy

“…Macrodeformations are those tissue deformations that result from the centripetal pulling of the wound edges caused by the NPWT. 15,22,24,26,27 Effects of these macrodeformations differ depending on tissue depth of the wound. 24,26,27 The superficial portion of the wound is subjected to compressive forces, which results in hypoperfusion.…”

“…[11][12][13] There are also a case series 14 and controlled experimental studies. 15,16 NPWT involves the use of a vacuum, or suction, applied to an open wound that has been covered with porous foam that is then covered by an adherent, occlusive sheet of plastic bandage material to achieve an airtight seal. Controlled negative (subatmospheric) pressure is applied to the wound, pulling exudates and effusions through the foam and into a reservoir and bathing the wound in tissue fluids from inside to outside to provide a healthy wound environment without maceration.…”

Vacuum-Assisted Closure Combined with a Myocutaneous Flap in the Management of Osteomyelitis in a Dog

“…The effect of VAC therapy on bacterial clearance and subsequent infection is debatable [13,18]. In regards to using VAC for osteomyelitis treatment, studies have compared VAC use to conventional wound dressing in open tibial fractures [19].…”

“…Over ten years ago, Fleischmann and Morykwas introduced the concept of applying negative pressure to wounds in order to promote rapid wound healing [7,8]. The VAC was quickly accepted as an efficacious treatment modality for wound management in human medicine and is recently being used with more frequency in veterinary medicine [12][13][14]. Indications for VAC therapy include acute, subacute, and chronic wounds, degloving injuries, reconstructive procedures, decubital ulcers, and burn wounds [7-9, 12, 15].…”

“…In veterinary medicine, continuous negative pressure of 125 mmHg is commonly used as it provides marked benefit to wound healing while minimizing patient discomfort [12,13]. In this patient, these standard settings were used initially to facilitate granulation tissue formation.…”