title: Topical negative pressure for pressure ulcer management.
abstract: The use of negative pressure therapy has been reported previously in a variety of care settings, but not in spinal cord-injured (SCI) patients. These individuals are at greatly increased risk of pressure ulcer development because of many factors associated with their neurological deficit and the incidence of pressure ulcers is high among them. This small case series employed objective measures to evaluate the effectiveness of negative pressure therapy when used to prepare pressure ulcers for surgical closure. The treated wounds demonstrated increased granulation tissue development and reduced wound colonization, and the reduced frequency of dressing changes compared with other treatment options may reduce the nursing workload. These case studies highlight the benefits of negative pressure therapy to SCI patients and emphasise the need for further work to compare the technique with other treatment options and determine the optimal application parameters of negative therapy in this patient group.
authors.affiliation: Spinal Outpatient Department, National Spinal Injuries Centre, Stoke Mandeville Hospital, Aylesbury.
authors.forename: Maureen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Coggrave
authors.forename: Hester
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: West
authors.forename: Bridget
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Leonard
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001458:Bandages; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D003668:Pressure Ulcer / Q000451:nursing*; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000451:nursing*; D013396:Suction / Q000451:nursing*; D016896:Treatment Outcome