title: Results of a retrospective comparative study: material cost for managing a series of large wounds in subjects with serious morbidity with a hydrokinetic fiber dressing or negative pressure wound therapy.
abstract: This retrospective observational study analyzed lesions with regard to healing trends and cost of materials.
  
  
  METHODS
  The observed lesions were mostly postsurgical or stage IV pressure ulcers in patients with serious morbidity. The wounds were treated with a hydrokinetic fiber dressing (sorbion Sachet S, sorbion Gmbh & Co, a BSN medical company, Senden, Germany) (n = 26) or negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) (n = 16).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Primary healing trends (ie, reduction of wound size, change from necrosis to granulation tissue, and change from granulation tissue to epithelium) and secondary healing trends (ie, periwound conditions) were similar for wounds treated with the hydrokinetic dressing when compared to wounds treated with NPWT. Cost of materials was substantially lower for wounds treated with the hydrokinetic fiber dressing compared to the NPWT, with cost reductions of $1,640 (348%) to $2,242 (1794%) per wound, depending on the criteria used for the analysis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In this set of wounds, the hydrokinetic fiber dressing was shown to lead to similar healing results while providing substantial reductions of the cost of materials. For the types of wounds presented in this observational study, the hydrokinetic fiber dressing seems to be an effective substitution for negative pressure wound therapy.
authors.affiliation: Hermans Consulting Inc, Newtown, PA; email:mhermans@hermans-hci.com.
authors.forename: Michel H E
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Hermans
authors.affiliation: Vibra Hospital of Sacramento, Folsom, CA.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kwon Lee
authors.affiliation: Vibra Hospital of Sacramento, Folsom, CA.
authors.forename: Mitzie R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Ragan
authors.affiliation: Vibra Hospital of Sacramento, Folsom, CA.
authors.forename: Pam
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Laudi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001458:Bandages / Q000191:economics*; D002140:California; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D005260:Female; D017048:Health Care Costs; D006801:Humans; D008134:Long-Term Care; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D054843:Negative-Pressure Wound Therapy / Q000191:economics* / Q000379:methods; D003668:Pressure Ulcer / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000191:economics / Q000628:therapy*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012866:Skilled Nursing Facilities; D013529:Surgical Wound Dehiscence / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000191:economics / Q000628:therapy*; D014945:Wound Healing / Q000502:physiology; D055815:Young Adult