Management of lower extremity traumatic injuries with negative pressure wound therapy: Experience of a pediatric plastic surgery department.

Introduction: Extensive lower limb traumatic injuries are particularly challenging when they associate skin and soft tissue defects, moreover when the patient is a child. In view of more frequent recommendations and reports of negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) use for severe trauma and extensive soft tissue defects of the lower extremity, we aimed at reviewing the indications and outcomes of this technique in our pediatric plastic surgery department.

Method: We performed a retrospective study for the period 2016-2019, in order to identify patients having suffered injuries of the ankle and foot, for who NPWT was used in the therapeutic protocol.