Trends and Innovation in Negative Pressure Wound Therapy: A Review of Burn Wound Management

Significance: Burns result in irretrievable cell damage, which can occur upon exposure to hot surfaces, liquids, gases, ultraviolet or ionizing radiation, and through friction. Standard of care in burn management involves protecting the patient, limiting burn progression, and achieving wound closure. Negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) and NPWT with instillation and dwell time (NPWTi-d) are two wound management options that have been shown to improve outcomes for burn patients in recent years. This work provides a general review of NPWT and NPWTi-d use in burn wound management. A literature search was performed using PubMed and Embase for peer-reviewed publications and conference abstracts written in English and reporting on burn management using NPWT and/or NPWTi-d from a single manufacturer between 2000 and 2021. All burn types were included. Recent Advances: Thirteen studies and 308 patients were available for assessment. Use of NPWT was reported in a majority of studies (n = 11). When conventional NPWT was applied, graft take of >90% was observed and consistent final wound closure was achieved. Two studies described NPWTi-d use for burn wound management. NPWTi-d use promoted granulation tissue development in burn wounds. Critical Issues: Limited high-level prospective evidence exists for use of NPWT and NPWTi-d in burn wound management. Future Directions: Available literature on the use of NPWT and/or NPWTi-d in burn care has reported improved outcomes in wound bed preparation, which can ultimately lead to final wound closure. The use of these modalities should be considered in management of burn care patients.