| 25 |
Clinical Research
|
Improving wound healing progress in LTAC patients using negative pressure wound therapy First Author: Sharon Barber Authors: Sharon Barber, RN, BSN, WOCN Objective: Data from a long term acute care hospital (LTAC) were used to compare treatment results on wound area and volume among patients treated with either moist wound therapy (MWT) or Negative Pressure Wound Therapy* (NPWT). Methods: Patients included were seen in Carolina Specialty Hospital (LTAC) from March to August 2006. Analyses were performed using repeated measures ANOVA models and two-sample t-tests. Results: This analysis evaluated 30 wounds: 15 NPWT; 15 MWT. There were fourteen (46.7%) pressure ulcers, fifteen (50%) surgical wounds and one (3.3%) venous-stasis ulcer. Median reduction from baseline in wound volume by the sixth week of treatment was 82% for NPWT group vs. 26% for MWT (p=0.0053). After six weeks of treatment, the NPWT patients had a median reduction from baseline in area of 47% compared to 4% in the MWT (p=0.0124). Healing progression between the groups is significantly different as early as the third week of treatment (p = 0.0083) and NPWT continued to make gains over MWT thereafter. Conclusions: NPWT showed a statistically greater reduction in wound size when compared to MWT. These differences were evident within three weeks of treatment. This study suggests that NPWT may offer significant treatment and outcome advantages for LTAC patients. *V.A.C. Therapy, KCI, San Antonio, Texas |
|