Authors (including presenting author) :
Chan KL(1), Cheng YC(1), Ho MW(1), Tang WY(1), Mok LC(1), Mok WY(1)
Affiliation :
(1)Orthopaedics & Traumatology, Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital
Introduction :
The medical, psychosocial and financial impacts imposed by hard-to-heal wounds are tremendous. Lack of immediate attention to these wounds can often serve as a prelude to serious health problems such as major limb amputations or even death. Many healthcare providers have advocated the use of the Negative Pressure Wound Therapy (NPWT) in the management of such kinds of wounds. Studies have shown that NPWT has the therapeutic benefits of optimizing blood flow, decreasing local tissue edema, removing excessive fluid and eliminating bacteria from wounds. All these physiological changes promote an ideal wound environment and facilitate wound healing. However, the effectiveness of NPWT reported was not conclusive. As this treatment modality has been adopted in O&T department of PYNEH for more than 12 year, this review is to share the experience and summarize the clinical outcomes.
Objectives :
The objectives of this study are to assess the clinical efficacy of using NPWT in treating hard-to-heal wounds and illustrate how NPWT can be given as a home base treatment.
Methodology :
From November 2022 to December 2022, our department retrospectively reviewed the medical records of patients who applied NPWT from 2010 to 2022. We analyzed three main wound parameters including 1) wound size, 2) local infective sign(s) and 3) percentage of healthy tissues on the wound bed in order to determine the clinical efficacy of the treatment. Meanwhile, the feasibilities of implenting NPWT at home settings were also reviewed under the "NPWT at home scheme".
Result & Outcome :
From 2010 to 2022, 229 patients were recruited. 191 (83.4%) of them demonstrated the reduction of wound size, 188 (82.1%) did not have local infective sign(s) during the treatment course and 140 (61.1%) showed an increase of healthy tissue on wound bed after treatment. Furthermore, 109 (47.6%) of patients have been recruited to our “NPWT at home scheme” and showed positive outcomes in the three wound parameters. The average treatment duration out of hospital for these cases was 30.3 days per patient. The “NPWT at home scheme” saved nearly 3300 in-patient bed days in PYNEH for the past 12 years.
