title: Advances in wound healing: topical negative pressure therapy.
abstract: In clinical practice many wounds are slow to heal and difficult to manage. The recently introduced technique of topical negative pressure therapy (TNP) has been developed to try to overcome some of these difficulties. TNP applies a controlled negative pressure to the surface of a wound that has potential advantages for wound treatment and management. Although the concept itself, of using suction in wound management is not new, the technique of applying a negative pressure at the surface of the wound is. This paper explores the origins and proposed mechanisms of action of TNP therapy and discusses the types of wounds that are thought to benefit most from use of this system.
authors.affiliation: Odstock Burns and Wound Healing Charitable Trust, Laing Laboratory, Salisbury District Hospital, Salisbury, Wiltshire SP2 8BJ, UK. Sophie.Jones@nhs.net
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: P E
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Banwell
authors.forename: P G
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Shakespeare
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity; D002908:Chronic Disease; D002985:Clinical Protocols; D004867:Equipment Design; D006801:Humans; D009779:Occlusive Dressings; D026741:Physical Therapy Modalities / Q000295:instrumentation*; D011312:Pressure; D013396:Suction / Q000295:instrumentation; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014618:Vacuum; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000502:physiology*