A single-center prospective study on the efficiency of negative pressure wound therapy versus conventional wound therapy in the postoperative management of devitalized and infected wounds

Introduction: In this study, we aim to present the benefits of using negative pressure wound therapy, particularly with respect to the speed up of recovery time of devitalized and infected post-operative wounds, cost-effectiveness of local healing, pain relief during treatment, and returning to work and resuming normal daily activities at an earlier time. Materials and methods: This was a prospective study performed in General Surgery Clinic, between 2016-2018. The study comprised 67 patients divided into two groups: A (29 patients who underwent negative pressure wound therapy) and B (38 patients who underwent conventional wound therapy). Results: The average age of patients included in group A was 64.2 +/- 12.3 years and in group B, 63.2 +/- 9.7 years (p=0.440). The wounds were located on the foot, thigh, abdomen, and other areas, and the average length of stay in hospital was 33 +/- 18 days for group A versus 17 +/- 14 days for group B (p=0.042) but with an average local healing time of 12 +/- 5 days in group A versus 44 +/- 17 days in group B (p<0.001). The average cost of hospitalization was higher in group A: 17,868 +/- 9,560 RON (3,834 +/- 2,051 euros) compared to group B: 6,025 +/- 4,137 RON (1,292 +/- 887 euros) (p=0.443) but the average cost of local healing was lower in group A: 5,437 +/- 2,238 RON (1,166 +/- 480 euro) compared to group B: 6,840 +/- 3,520 RON (1,467 +/- 755 euro) (p=0.005). Conclusions: The treatment of devitalized and infected post-operative wounds by using negative pressure wound therapy reduces local and complete healing time by approximately 30%, local healing costs by 26%, and allows better pain management during treatment with minimal complications.