Palliative care with negative pressure wound therapy application in malignant wounds: a systematic review

To synthesise and appraise the evidence for and benefits of palliative application of negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) in malignant wounds.

We performed a systematic review according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis (PRISMA). MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Library and trial registers (www.clinicaltrials.gov) from inception to 1 June 2021 were searched. Quality was assessed using the tool of methodological quality and synthesis from the 2018 BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine article on case series and case report synthesis.

Of 765 articles screened, 14 eligible studies were included in the review. All were case reports and included a total of 22 patients. The mean age of the patients was 60.7 (range: 33-77) years. The location of the hard-to-heal wounds was widely distributed: five wounds on the scalp; three wounds over the anogenital area; and the remaining wounds on the trunk and extremities. The reported outcomes included: improvement of wound healing; decreased exudation and malodour of the wound; decreased pain sensation; eligibility for further treatment; and a shift to the homecare system.

The findings of this study suggested NPWT could be a choice in palliative care for patients with malignant wounds. However, more studies are needed to evaluate the efficacy of NPWT in these wounds.