Negative Pressure Therapy
Effectiveness of Negative Pressure Therapy on Wounds
Heather Downey
ECPI University
Effectiveness of Negative Pressure Therapy on Wounds Negative Pressure Therapy (NPT) is a non-invasive treatment using negative pressure to treat open wounds with the assistance of foam or gauze as the wound filler (Lee, 2011, p. 114). NPT also goes by the name Negative Pressure Wound Therapy (NPWT), Topical Negative Pressure (TNP), and Vacuum Assisted Closer (VAC). According to Thompson (2008), NPT can be effective in treating and reducing infections in wounds and to initiate healing in slow healing wounds, speed up the healing process of large wounds, and reduce wound infections (p. 23). The definition of a wound from Merriam-Webster Dictionary (2011) states “an injury to the body (as from violence, accident, or surgery) that typically involves laceration or breaking of a membrane (as the skin) and usually damage to underlying tissues”.
Explanation of the Problem According to Stannard et al. (2009), the infection rate for wounds caused by trauma and necrosis ranges from 33% to 50%, and infections from sternal wounds after a cardiac surgery “remains the most dreaded complication, resulting in 1-year mortality rates of 33%” (p. 58). Wounds can cause many complications for patients to include infections which can lead to septicaemia (infection of the blood stream), bone infections, and even death. Wounds can be a major expense for facilities and payees to treat as well as diminish the quality of life for a patient.
Purpose of Study NPT is a treatment in hard to heal wounds. According to McCord et al. (2007), NPT is an additional tool for the treatment of chronic and acute wounds in patients (p. 296). The purpose of this study is to describe the use of NPT and its effectiveness on patient outcome.
Explanation of Best Practices
The use of evidence based practice is in use throughout the healthcare industry. Depoy and Gitlin (2011), explain evidence based
Heather Downey
ECPI University
Effectiveness of Negative Pressure Therapy on Wounds Negative Pressure Therapy (NPT) is a non-invasive treatment using negative pressure to treat open wounds with the assistance of foam or gauze as the wound filler (Lee, 2011, p. 114). NPT also goes by the name Negative Pressure Wound Therapy (NPWT), Topical Negative Pressure (TNP), and Vacuum Assisted Closer (VAC). According to Thompson (2008), NPT can be effective in treating and reducing infections in wounds and to initiate healing in slow healing wounds, speed up the healing process of large wounds, and reduce wound infections (p. 23). The definition of a wound from Merriam-Webster Dictionary (2011) states “an injury to the body (as from violence, accident, or surgery) that typically involves laceration or breaking of a membrane (as the skin) and usually damage to underlying tissues”.
Explanation of the Problem According to Stannard et al. (2009), the infection rate for wounds caused by trauma and necrosis ranges from 33% to 50%, and infections from sternal wounds after a cardiac surgery “remains the most dreaded complication, resulting in 1-year mortality rates of 33%” (p. 58). Wounds can cause many complications for patients to include infections which can lead to septicaemia (infection of the blood stream), bone infections, and even death. Wounds can be a major expense for facilities and payees to treat as well as diminish the quality of life for a patient.
Purpose of Study NPT is a treatment in hard to heal wounds. According to McCord et al. (2007), NPT is an additional tool for the treatment of chronic and acute wounds in patients (p. 296). The purpose of this study is to describe the use of NPT and its effectiveness on patient outcome.
Explanation of Best Practices
The use of evidence based practice is in use throughout the healthcare industry. Depoy and Gitlin (2011), explain evidence based