Abstract
Although there is significant evidence supporting the use of negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) for the treatment of lower extremity diabetic ulcers, currently available electrically powered NPWT systems are not ideally suited for treating smaller diabetic foot ulcers. The Smart Negative Pressure (SNaP) Wound Care System is a novel, ultraportable device that delivers NPWT without the use of an electrically powered pump. It was specifically designed to meet the wound care needs of patients with diabetes. The SNaP System is compact, silent, mobile, easy-to-use, and available off-the-shelf. It is fully disposable and may offer other important benefits over electrically powered systems to both the clinician and patient. We review the evidence for use of NPWT for the treatment of diabetic wounds and discuss the potential benefits of this new NPWT technology for patients with diabetes. We also present a case series of four difficult lower extremity diabetic ulcers that were successfully treated with the SNaP System. This study suggests that the SNaP System may be a useful addition to the armamentarium of the diabetic wound care clinician.