[The use of topical negative pressure in an open abdomen]

The article is a review of the literature concerning the use of topical negative pressure (TNP) in open abdomen. TNP appears to be superior to other methods in that the frequency of ventral hernia seems to be less after TNP than after other methods. TNP reduces both the cost of nursing and the damage to the abdominal wall. Vacuum-assisted closure (VAC) appears to be superior to the vacuum pack technique, but there is a lack of studies comparing the two methods of TNP in open abdomen.