Long-term follow-up of negative pressure wound therapy with instillation: a limb salvage procedure?

Effect of whole course seamless nursing mode on patients with chronic infectious wounds

Background

Chronic infectious wounds seriously affect patients' quality of life.

Aim

To assess the effect of whole course seamless nursing mode on patients with chronic infectious wounds.

Methodology

One hundred patients treated between January 2019 and December 2020 were randomly divided into control and observation groups (n=50) that were given routine nursing and whole course seamless nursing, respectively. Their pain score, comfort score, wound healing time, wound healing effect, psychological state scores, sleep indices, quality-of-life scores and degree of satisfaction with nursing were compared.

Results

Observation group had lower pain score and higher comfort score than those of control group after nursing (P<0.05). Compared with control group, observation group had shorter wound healing time and higher grade-A wound healing rate (P<0.05). The SDS and SAS scores of observation group were lower than those of control group (P<0.05). Observation group also had significantly shorter sleep latency, longer actual sleep time, lower PSQI score, as well as higher quality-of-life score and overall satisfaction rate than those of control group (P<0.05).

Conclusion

For patients with chronic infectious wounds, whole course seamless nursing effectively relieves wound pain, facilitates wound healing, improves comfort, psychological state and sleep status, and makes them more satisfied.

Negative-Pressure Wound Therapy With Instillation: A Tool in the Multidisciplinary Approach to Limb Function Preservation

SUMMARY

The multidisciplinary approach to lower extremity function preservation is well established and is globally considered the standard of care. Every member of the team contributes their unique skills and knowledge to patient care. The effective integration of negative-pressure wound therapy with instillation (NPWTi) has fundamentally changed the approach to the infected or contaminated wound. Initially, in conjunction with excisional debridement, NPWTi has demonstrated its utility of expediting wound bed preparation for closure or coverage. With the introduction of a novel foam design, the effectiveness has increased and provided an option in cases where surgical intervention is not available or recommended. The successful implementation and continued monitoring of NPWTi provides an efficient tool to expedite ultimate wound healing and involves all members of the team.

EWMA Document: Negative Pressure Wound Therapy

1. Introduction Since its introduction in clinical practice in the early 1990's negative pressure wounds therapy (NPWT) has become widely used in the management of complex wounds in both inpatient and outpatient care.¹ NPWT has been described as a effective treatment for wounds of many different aetiologies^2,3 and suggested as a gold standard for treatment of wounds such as open abdominal wounds,^4-6 dehisced sternal wounds following cardiac surgery^7,8 and as a valuable agent in complex non-healing wounds.^9,10 Increasingly, NPWT is being applied in the primary and home-care setting, where it is described as having the potential to improve the efficacy of wound management and help reduce the reliance on hospital-based care.¹¹ While the potential of NPWT is promising and the clinical use of the treatment is widespread, highlevel evidence of its effectiveness and economic benefits remain sparse.^12-14 The ongoing controversy regarding high-level evidence in wound care in general is well known. There is a consensus that clinical practice should be evidence-based, which can be difficult to achieve due to confusion about the value of the various approaches to wound management; however, we have to rely on the best available evidence. The need to review wound strategies and treatments in order to reduce the burden of care in an efficient way is urgent. If patients at risk of delayed wound healing are identified earlier and aggressive interventions are taken before the wound deteriorates and complications occur, both patient morbidity and health-care costs can be significantly reduced. There is further a fundamental confusion over the best way to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions in this complex patient population. This is illustrated by reviews of the value of various treatment strategies for non-healing wounds, which have highlighted methodological inconsistencies in primary research. This situation is confounded by differences in the advice given by regulatory and reimbursement bodies in various countries regarding both study design and the ways in which results are interpreted. In response to this confusion, the European Wound Management Association (EWMA) has been publishing a number of interdisciplinary documents^15-19 with the intention of highlighting: The nature and extent of the problem for wound management: from the clinical perspective as well as that of care givers and the patients Evidence-based practice as an integration of clinical expertise with the best available clinical evidence from systematic research The nature and extent of the problem for wound management: from the policy maker and healthcare system perspectives The controversy regarding the value of various approaches to wound management and care is illustrated by the case of NPWT, synonymous with topical negative pressure or vacuum therapy and cited as branded VAC (vacuum-assisted closure) therapy. This is a mode of therapy used to encourage wound healing. It is used as a primary treatment of chronic wounds, in complex acute wounds and as an adjunct for temporary closure and wound bed preparation preceding surgical procedures such as skin grafts and flap surgery. Aim An increasing number of papers on the effect of NPWT are being published. However, due to the low evidence level the treatment remains controversial from the policy maker and health-care system's points of view-particularly with regard to evidence-based medicine. In response EWMA has established an interdisciplinary working group to describe the present knowledge with regard to NPWT and provide overview of its implications for organisation of care, documentation, communication, patient safety, and health economic aspects. These goals will be achieved by the following: Present the rational and scientific support for each delivered statement Uncover controversies and issues related to the use of NPWT in wound management Implications of implementing NPWT as a treatment strategy in the health-care system Provide information and offer perspectives of NPWT from the viewpoints of health-care staff, policy makers, politicians, industry, patients and hospital administrators who are indirectly or directly involved in wound management.

Peroxy Pyruvic Acid-Containing Topical Anti-Infective: A Potential Candidate for a Wound Instillation Solution

Objective: Evaluate the therapeutic properties of a peroxy pyruvic acid (PPA)-containing topical anti-infective in a human ex-vivo model that replicates the natural conditions of a human chronic wound. Approach: Wound material was extracted from patients with nonhealing diabetic ulcers, venous stasis ulcers, and arterial wounds. Microbial species were identified, and wound colonization was quantified. Extracted samples were then exposed to a PPA-containing topical anti-infective as an instillation solution with negative pressure wound therapy NPWT at concentrations of 1,000, 1,500, or 2,500 ppm for a period of 1, 5, or 10 min to determine the effect of exposure on isolated pathogens, including effect on proteins. Results: A total of 32 samples were collected from patients. Samples presented with a range of bacteria and fungi representing 14 genera and 22 species, many of which are or are evolving to be resistant to many, if not most, current systemic antibiotics. Thirteen of twenty-three samples (57%) from chronic wounds had bacteria counts ≥10⁵ and most were 6 logs or more. Seven of 10 samples (70%) from acute wounds had bacteria counts ≤10⁵ and most were much lower. Exposure to PPA-containing topical anti-infective at 1,000 ppm killed all bacteria and fungi in all samples within 1 min of exposure. Innovation: PPA-containing topical anti-infective is a potentially valuable clinical option for NPWT. Conclusion: PPA-containing topical anti-infective is a potential candidate for use as an NPWT instillation solution for the treatment of wound infections caused by susceptible pathogens.

Role of negative pressure wound therapy in total hip and knee arthroplasty

Negative-pressure wound therapy (NPWT) has been a successful modality of wound management which is in widespread use in several surgical fields. The main mechanisms of action thought to play a role in enhancing wound healing and preventing surgical site infection are macrodeformation and microdeformation of the wound bed, fluid removal, and stabilization of the wound environment. Due to the devastating consequences of infection in the setting of joint arthroplasty, there has been some interest in the use of NPWT following total hip arthroplasty and total knee arthroplasty. However, there is still a scarcity of data reporting on the use of NPWT within this field and most studies are limited by small sample sizes, high variability of clinical settings and end-points. There is little evidence to support the use of NPWT as an adjunctive treatment for surgical wound drainage, and for this reason surgical intervention should not be delayed when indicated. The prophylactic use of NPWT after arthroplasty in patients that are at high risk for postoperative wound drainage appears to have the strongest clinical evidence. Several clinical trials including single-use NPWT devices for this purpose are currently in progress and this may soon be incorporated in clinical guidelines as a mean to prevent periprosthetic joint infections.

Challenges in the Treatment of Chronic Wounds

Significance: Chronic wounds include, but are not limited, to diabetic foot ulcers, venous leg ulcers, and pressure ulcers. They are a challenge to wound care professionals and consume a great deal of healthcare resources around the globe. This review discusses the pathophysiology of complex chronic wounds and the means and modalities currently available to achieve healing in such patients. Recent Advances: Although often difficult to treat, an understanding of the underlying pathophysiology and specific attention toward managing these perturbations can often lead to successful healing. Critical Issues: Overcoming the factors that contribute to delayed healing are key components of a comprehensive approach to wound care and present the primary challenges to the treatment of chronic wounds. When wounds fail to achieve sufficient healing after 4 weeks of standard care, reassessment of underlying pathology and consideration of the need for advanced therapeutic agents should be undertaken. However, selection of an appropriate therapy is often not evidence based. Future Directions: Basic tenets of care need to be routinely followed, and a systematic evaluation of patients and their wounds will also facilitate appropriate care. Underlying pathologies, which result in the failure of these wounds to heal, differ among various types of chronic wounds. A better understanding of the differences between various types of chronic wounds at the molecular and cellular levels should improve our treatment approaches, leading to better healing rates, and facilitate the development of new more effective therapies. More evidence for the efficacy of current and future advanced wound therapies is required for their appropriate use.