title: A novel option in negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) for chronic and acute wound care.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) has become a widely accepted technique in treatment of all kinds of wounds. After a long period of clinical application of the V.A.C.™ system (KCI Inc., San Antonio, Texas, USA) a number of options for delivery of NPWT are now commercially available. An urgent need exists for evidence demonstrating clinical efficacy of these new devices to support clinicians regarding their choice of NPWT.
  
  
  METHODS
  42 patients with an acute or chronic wound were randomly assigned to either treatment by V.A.C.™ (group A) or therapy with an alternative newly available polyurethane foam-based NPWT system (RENASYS GO™ - F/P, Smith & Nephew GmbH) (group B). In both groups NPWT was applied after surgical debridement to prepare the wound bed for skin grafting. After skin grafting NPWT was applied additionally to secure skin grafts and improve grafts survival. Primary outcome measures were the time to complete healing (days) and duration of the NPWT application (days). Secondary outcome measures were the number of dressing changes and reported complications. In addition, we evaluated the cost-benefit in the clinical implementation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were no significant differences comparing the investigated parameters between both groups. Especially average time to complete healing and average time NPWT was applied did not differ (p>0.05). No complications occurred in either group. By an almost identical supply agreement of both providers for our hospital RENASYS™ system appeared to be more cost-effective.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  After a long period of preserving a monopoly market position of the V.A.C.™ system, a new comparable option was successfully tested in this preliminary study. The polyurethane foam-based NPWT system (RENASYS GO™ - F/P, Smith & Nephew GmbH) is an efficient and cost-effective alternative NPWT system, which we effectively implemented in therapeutic management of different kinds of wounds.
authors.affiliation: Department of Plastic, Reconstructive, Hand and Burn Surgery, BG-Trauma Center, Eberhard Karls University Tuebingen, Germany. arahmanian@bgu-tuebingen.de
authors.forename: Afshin
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rahmanian-Schwarz
authors.forename: Lina-Marie
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Willkomm
authors.forename: Philipp
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gonser
authors.forename: Bernhard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Hirt
authors.forename: Hans-Eberhard
authors.initials: HE
authors.lastname: Schaller
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D054843:Negative-Pressure Wound Therapy / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D011140:Polyurethanes / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000502:physiology; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000628:therapy*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D011140:Polyurethanes; C028279:polyurethane foam