title: Negative pressure wound therapy overlay technique with collagen dressings for nonhealing wounds.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Our clinical experience suggests that the effectiveness of negative pressure wound therapy is enhanced by adding collagen alginate to the dressing regimen, applying foam over areas that are undermined or tunneled, and approximating and securing wound edges prior to applying foam.
  
  
  METHODS
  The use of this combined technique is described in 4 cases, including 2 patients with spinal cord injury and category IV pressure ulcers and 2 patients with extensive postsurgical wounds.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our outcomes demonstrate the feasibility of this technique and suggest that patients with significant wound size benefit from adding collagen alginate to negative pressure wound therapy and by applying foam over areas that are undermined or tunneled and/or approximating and securing wound edges prior to applying foam.
authors.affiliation: Drake Center, Cincinnati, Ohio 45216, USA. mary.long@healthall.com
authors.forename: Mary
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Arnold-Long
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: LuAnn
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Reed
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D054843:Negative-Pressure Wound Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D009779:Occlusive Dressings; D003668:Pressure Ulcer / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*; D012494:Sampling Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000150:complications; D013530:Surgical Wound Infection / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult