title: Negative-pressure wound therapy for prevention and treatment of surgical-site infections after vascular surgery.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Indications for negative-pressure wound therapy (NPWT) in vascular surgical patients are expanding. The aim of this review was to outline the evidence for NPWT on open and closed wounds.
  
  
  METHODS
  A PubMed, EMBASE and Cochrane Library search from 2007 to June 2016 was performed combining the medical subject headings terms 'wound infection', 'abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA)', 'fasciotomy', 'vascular surgery' and 'NPWT' or 'VAC'.
  
  
  RESULTS
  NPWT of open infected groin wounds was associated with shorter duration of wound healing by 47 days, and was more cost-effective than alginate dressings in one RCT. In one RCT and six observational studies, NPWT-related major bleeding and graft preservation rates were 0-10 and 83-100 per cent respectively. One retrospective comparative study showed greater wound size reduction per day, fewer dressing changes, quicker wound closure and shorter hospital stay with NPWT compared with gauze dressings for lower leg fasciotomy. NPWT and mesh-mediated fascial traction after AAA repair and open abdomen was associated with high primary fascial closure rates (96-100 per cent) and low risk of graft infection (0-7 per cent). One retrospective comparative study showed a significant reduction in surgical-site infection, from 30 per cent with standard wound care to 6 per cent with closed incisional NPWT.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  NPWT has a central role in open and infected wounds after vascular surgery; the results of prophylactic care of closed incisions are promising.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Sciences, Vascular Centre, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Acosta
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgical Sciences, Vascular Surgery, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Björck
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgical Sciences, Vascular Surgery, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wanhainen
mesh_terms: D003646:Debridement; D000071938:Fasciotomy; D006801:Humans; D054843:Negative-Pressure Wound Therapy; D015427:Reperfusion Injury / Q000150:complications; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013526:Surgical Mesh; D013530:Surgical Wound Infection / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy*; D014656:Vascular Surgical Procedures; D058106:Wound Closure Techniques