Negative Pressure Wound Therapy as an Adjunct to Skin Grafting in Traumatic Injuries

Wounds are a challenge for health professionals and services, prolonging hospital stays and increasing morbidity and mortality rates. Wounds occur due to post-traumatic tissue loss, which is often difficult to resolve and is complicated by infections, local vascular impairment, and systemic diseases. To demonstrate the effectiveness of negative pressure therapy (NPT) using the vacuum gauge of the hospital gas pipeline and low-cost materials in the immediate postoperative period. To use resources available in daily hospital practice to create a low-cost vacuum dressing. To describe the equipment, preparation, and technique involved in low-cost NPT treatment as an adjuvant in the repair of lesions with indication for skin grafting.

Prospective, interventional, randomized clinical study with a non-inferiority design.

Fifteen patients were included at the end of the study, with complete follow-up until complete healing. The mean age of the selected patients was 38.27 years. Regarding gender, 93.3% were male and 6.7% were female.

Thus, the results suggested that the use of low-cost NPT on skin grafts is a valuable, safe, easily reproducible and low-morbidity tool for surgeons technical arsenal. Level of Evidence: IV; Case Series .