Negative pressure wound therapy with instillation: International consensus guidelines update

Area of Science:

• Wound Care
• Medical Technology
• Clinical Practice Guidelines

Background:

• Negative pressure wound therapy with instillation and dwell time (NPWTi-d) use is increasing due to complex wounds.
• Existing NPWTi-d guidelines are over six years old, necessitating an update.
• Growing evidence and global experience highlight the need for revised best practices.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop updated international consensus guidelines for NPWTi-d best practices.
• To refine recommendations for NPWTi-d application settings, topical solutions, and patient/wound selection.
• To address various dressing and setting configurations for NPWTi-d.

Main Methods:

• An international, multidisciplinary expert panel convened in February 2019.
• Recommendations were based on panel expertise and published research.
• Consensus was achieved through >80% agreement among panellists.

Main Results:

• Updated best practice recommendations for NPWTi-d were established.
• Guidelines address appropriate application settings and topical wound solution selection.
• Specific wound and patient characteristics for NPWTi-d use were refined.

Conclusions:

• The published guidelines represent a refinement of NPWTi-d parameters.
• These updated recommendations aim to improve the use of NPWTi-d in complex wound management.
• The consensus guidelines provide current best practices for clinicians worldwide.