title: Negative pressure wound therapy.
abstract: Negative pressure wound therapy has become an increasingly important part of wound management. Over the last decade, numerous uses for this method of wound management have been reported, ranging from acute and chronic wounds, to closure of open sternal and abdominal wounds, to assistance with skin grafts. The biophysics behind the success of this treatment largely have focused on increased wound blood flow, increased granulation tissue formation, decreased bacterial counts, and stimulation of wound healing pathways through shear stress mechanisms. The overall success of negative pressure wound therapy has led to a multitude of clinical applications, which are discussed in this article.
authors.affiliation: Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA. jimthomp@wfubmc.edu
authors.forename: James T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Thompson
authors.forename: Malcolm W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Marks
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D002056:Burns / Q000628:therapy; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004487:Edema / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007813:Laparotomy; D054843:Negative-Pressure Wound Therapy; D013997:Time Factors; D019737:Transplants; D014945:Wound Healing; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy*