Negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) converts an open wound into a controlled closed environment by applying intermittent or continuous sub-atmospheric pressure to a specialized wound dressing. This is sealed with an adhesive dressing that contains the negative pressure at the wound and thereby stimulates healing. This technique has revolutionized the care of acute and chronic open wounds in orthopaedics. Normal wound healing and the current recommendations for the care of orthopaedic wounds using NPWT are reviewed.
wound VAC - NPWT - wound healing