title: An overview of negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT).
abstract: Negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) is often called topical negative pressure (TNP) or by the trade name: 'VAC' (Vacuum assisted closure, KCI). NPWT is a technique that uses negative pressure applied to wounds of diverse aetiology to promote healing. Over the last 50 years clinicians have described how certain wounds respond to sub-atmospheric pressure used within a closed dynamic delivery system. Several companies are now able to offer devices that deliver NPWT, giving greater choice to decision-makers in Healthcare authorities. This article provides an overview of NPWT.
authors.affiliation: University of Worcester. geoffreylthompson@googlemail.com
authors.forename: Geoff
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Thompson
mesh_terms: D001458:Bandages; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D054843:Negative-Pressure Wound Therapy / Q000379:methods* / Q000451:nursing; D018579:Patient Selection; D013529:Surgical Wound Dehiscence / Q000628:therapy; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy