title: Clinical Experience With the Use of Negative Pressure Wound Therapy Combined With a Silver-impregnated Dressing in Mixed Wounds: A Retrospective Study of 50 Cases.
abstract: Although negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) has been used for more than 20 years, as far as the authors are aware, there is little research aimed at the evaluation of the combination of NPWT with a silver-impregnated dressing.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to examine the effect, efficacy, and safety of NPWT in conjunction with a silver-impregnated dressing.
  
  
  METHODS
  The authors used a retrospective study of 54 acute and chronic wounds treated in 50 patients over a 2-year period. Demographic data, wound characterizations, wound cultures before and after NPWT, the duration of NPWT and number of sponge changes for each patient, the types of surgical procedures used for wound closure following NPWT, and the healing time and length of hospital stays were recorded.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In 26 wounds, deep structures (ie, bones and tendons) were exposed. The mean NPWT duration was 9.2 days. Mean healing time was 16 days. There was a statistically significant decrease in the pathogenic microbial strains after NPWT treatment combined with the silver-impregnated dressing (paired t test; P = 0.0038). The shift from complicated to easier surgical wound-closure procedures was observed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  According to all results obtained, described, and discussed, the authors consider the use of a nonadherent silver-impregnated dressing in conjunction with NPWT to be beneficial and efficacious. No adverse events or reactions related to the silver-impregnated contact layer used during NPWT have been observed in the patients, which confirmed the safety of this method.
authors: Department of Burns and Reconstructive Surgery, Comenius University and University Hospital Ružinov, Bratislava, Slovak Republic.
authors: Peter
authors: P
authors: Bukovcan
authors: Department of Burns and Reconstructive Surgery, Comenius University and University Hospital Ružinov, Bratislava, Slovak Republic.
authors: Jan
authors: J
authors: Koller
authors: Department of Burns and Reconstructive Surgery, Comenius University and University Hospital Ružinov, Bratislava, Slovak Republic.
authors: Marianna
authors: M
authors: Hajská
authors: Department of Burns and Reconstructive Surgery, Comenius University and University Hospital Ružinov, Bratislava, Slovak Republic.
authors: Peter
authors: P
authors: Záhorec
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease / Q000628:therapy*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001458:Bandages; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D054843:Negative-Pressure Wound Therapy / Q000379:methods; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012834:Silver / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D013529:Surgical Wound Dehiscence / Q000517:prevention & control*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014945:Wound Healing; D014946:Wound Infection; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*
chemical_list: D012834:Silver