Negative pressure wound therapy made simple: expert panel recommendations

Wound management poses a substantial economic burden, and the prevalence of hard-to-heal (chronic) wounds is a growing health concern. Negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT), with and without instillation, is an adjunctive therapy commonly used to manage acute and hard-to-heal wounds and has demonstrated positive clinical outcomes. The variety of NPWT modalities, patient needs, wound characteristics and care requirements can make selecting the optimal system challenging, leading to uncertainty and inconsistent practices among new users, increasing the risk of suboptimal outcomes. This article provides practical guidance to help new NPWT users make confident, evidence-based decisions.

An expert panel was convened in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, in November 2023 to review published treatment guidelines and the current literature and to develop simplified recommendations on the use of NPWT in hospital and community care settings.

Expert panel members discussed published wound management evidence and their real-world experiences as wound management specialists to generate recommendations for healthcare professionals to aid them in the selection of NPWT modalities.

This summary presents nine expert panel recommendations, including simplified risk assessment algorithms and guidance to improve NPWT use across clinical settings.