Treatment of traumatic open wounds

Summary

Limited evidence from two small randomized controlled trials and one retrospective cohort study suggest negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) might reduce infection rate, drainage time, and time to wound closure when compared with standard-pressure dressing methods for high-energy orthopedic trauma. All three studies found NPWT to be more effective than standard treatment for the primary outcomes studied; however, each study evaluated a different type of wound and reported a different primary outcome. Evidence-based conclusions are difficult given the relatively small sample sizes and selection of treatment based on patient presentation in the cohort study. A methodologically rigorous multicenter randomized controlled trial may provide sufficient sample size to effectively compare similar wounds and treatments for these types of high-energy trauma.