Abstract
Topical Negative Pressure (TNP) has become an accepted intervention in wound healing with a growing body of scientific literature supporting the effectiveness of TNP across a wide variety of wound aetiologies. The range of TNP devices has also increased with perhaps the primary distinction being between those TNP devices that employ gauze or foam as a wound dressing. This study reports preliminary multi-centre observations upon the use of a new gauze based TNP device in the treatment of wounds. Across 3 study centres twenty-nine subjects were recruited to the study with 8 presenting with leg ulcers, 8 with pressure ulcers, 12 with acute or surgical wounds and 1 with a non-healing burn injury. Wounds were then treated with the new TNP therapy for a maximum of 17 days (range 2-17 days). There appeared to be a trend for subjects with leg ulcers to be treated for longer (mean duration 12.9 days) compared to subjects with pressure ulcers (mean duration 6.5 days) or those with surgical wounds (mean duration 8.2 days). Given the relatively short duration of the TNP therapy no wound completely healed although 22/29 (75.9%) showed reductions in surface area per day of treatment with all but 1 pressure ulcer and 1 leg ulcer responding positively to treatment. While not an RCT, this and similar cohort studies may be central to the future selection of TNP devices given the increasing importance of the role of the user interface to reduce the likelihood of incorrect use and sub-optimal outcomes.