Evaluating the Clinical Acceptance of a Negative Pressure Wound Therapy (NPWT) System in Accordance with Standards of Care in Patients with a Variety of Wound Types

A prospective, non-randomized, interventional study evaluating the use of a single-patient-use NPWT wound care system* in an advanced wound care clinic setting. Most patients were treated in the outpatient clinic; a few had the NPWT* placed in the Burn Operating Room, or at bedside, then discharged soon after.  The primary objective was to determine acceptable progress towards the goal of therapy for Diabetic Foot Ulcers (DFU), Pressure Injuries/Pressure Ulcers (PI/PU), surgical, acute/traumatic and dehisced wounds when using an NPWT system* during a 4-week study as defined by the physician upon initial assessment. We evaluated how well the NPWT system* integrated into the standard of care in achieving clinically acceptable progress towards the goals of therapy for patients and recorded the opinions of the patients and caregivers. Preliminary results show the therapy goals were reached for all 10 patients enrolled. Outcomes were comparable to previous data using the same single-patient-use NPWT system* [1]. Moreover, the results were consistent with other literature on NPWT treated patients with similar wound indications [2]. In general, the clinicians were satisfied with the ease of device handling/dressing change/patient mobility etc., upholding the notion that the device is indeed easy to use. Unlike other single-patient-use NPWT pumps currently available with limited functionality (i.e. single predefined pressure setting; limited exudate removal capacity; minimal safety notifications; and limited pump run times); the current ultraportable single-patient-use NPWT system* has full capabilities. This study indicates that the use of an NPWT system* shows promise for healing a wide variety of wounds. The preliminary findings demonstrate that the system is easy to use and convenient for patients being treated with a single-patient-use NPWT. Furthermore, we found favorable outcomes in this small group. Further research with an increased number of patients is needed to ascertain statistical power.