Negative pressure therapy immediately and reversibly increases cutaneous blood flow in a live porcine skin perfusion...

Studies have demonstrated that closed incision negative pressure therapy (ciNPT) reduces haematoma and seroma formation, and improves healing compared to a standard wound dressing. However, the specific mechanisms of action by which ciNPT improves healing remain unclear. The aim of this work was to evaluate the immediate effect of the Prevena ciNPT device (Prevena Incision Management System; formerly 3M but now Solventum, US) on local cutaneous perfusion using an implantable thermodynamic flow sensor.

A ciNPT dressing was placed on intact live porcine skin and microvascular flow probes were inserted subcutaneously underneath the dressing. The probes used are a novel intratissue, implantable device (developed by Northwestern University, US, and Washington University School of Medicine, US, and not commercially available) which measures microvascular blood flow velocity using the tissue's convection of applied heat. For each animal, two or three different flow probes were placed beneath the ciNPT dressing and two cycles of 60-minute ciNPT on, followed by 60-minute ciNPT off, were completed.

The experiment was performed on three separate animals. The observed microvascular flow increased by an average of 64±26% with applied negative pressure and immediately decreased when the ciNPT was turned off.

The findings of this study provides evidence that the application of negative pressure using ciNPT leads to an immediate and reversible increase in cutaneous perfusion. This is likely one mechanism of action by which ciNPT improves wound healing outcomes.