Comparative Study of Negative Pressure Wound Therapy Versus Conventional Wound Therapy of Lower Limb Ulcers

Abstract

Background: Wounds and their management are fundamental in the practice of surgery. Negative Pressure Wound Therapy (NPWT) uses negative pressure to assist wound healing. Negative pressure drains fluid from the wound, thus removing the substrate for growth of microorganisms. Aim: To assess the efficacy of negative pressure wound therapy as compared to conventional wound therapy in improving the healing process in chronic wounds and ulcers. Materials and Methods: the study was in the department of general Surgery with 50 patients comprising of  25 cases were randomly chosen for study with negative pressure and 25 cases received normal dressing for the wounds.Result: The age of the patients ranged from 20 years to 80 years with mean age Group A – 54.28±11.55 and Group B – 54.52±11.03. Foot remained the site for highest number of ulcers in both the groups followed by leg, however the least number of ulcres was found on thigh. The wound size in the study group before and after treatment shows statistically significant. Conclusion:Negative Pressure Wound Therapy is safe, has faster response in wound healing and gives better efficacy as compared to the Conventional Wound Therapy.