Management of Acute and Chronic Wounds Using Negative Pressure Wound Therapy With Instillation and Dwell Time: A Retrospective Review of a 100-Patient Cohort in Padova, Italy.

Introduction: The presence of debris covering a wound surface significantly impedes progression toward closure. Negative pressure wound therapy with instillation and dwell time (NPWTi-d) of topical wound solutions is a versatile tool that can be applied to various wound types to promote wound healing. At the University Hospital of Padova in Padova, Italy, NPWTi-d has been incorporated into wound management plans that include debridement and antibiotic therapy, as necessary, for a diverse population of patients with open wounds, including acute, chronic, and infected wounds.

Objective: A retrospective analysis of 100 patients (53 male, 47 female; age range, 22-95 years) who underwent NPWTi-d was performed, and key healing outcomes observed in subgroups differentiated by sex, wound etiology, initial wound size, and topical instillation solution were reported.

Materials And Methods: Wound types included vascular ulcers, surgical wounds, dehiscences, and trauma; anatomic location of the wounds varied. Negative pressure wound therapy with instillation (0.05% sodium hypochlorite, normal saline, or 0.25% acetic acid) was implemented with a dwell time of 3 minutes to 10 minutes, followed by a negative pressure cycle length of 2 hours to 3.5 hours at -75 mm Hg to -125 mm Hg. Dressings were changed approximately every 3 days.

Results: After a median of 11 days (range, 1-35 days), the wound surface area significantly decreased (P <.0001), percentage of infected wounds declined from 72% to 46%, and wound closure was attained in 91% of cases. A significant reduction in wound surface area was detected in both sexes, small- and medium-sized wounds, vascular ulcers, surgical wounds, dehiscences, trauma wounds, and pressure ulcers (P <.05). This effect was detected in wounds regardless of topical instillation solution (P <.0001).

Conclusions: This study showed that NPWTi-d is a valuable treatment option in a variety of circumstances and can help the clinician achieve a range of therapy goals based on individual patient needs.