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in everyday
practice
made
easy
Introduction
NPWT
in everyday
practice
made
easy
Gauze or foam?
Figure 1 NPWT foam (A) and gauze (B) dressings in situ (with permission of Smith & Nephew)
Continuous or
intermittent suction
settings?
Pressure settings
Most units provide a range of
negative pressure, between -40mmHg
and -200mmHg. Negative pressure
Patient-specific factors
Informed consent
NPWT at home
Safety checklist
Precautions
Additional precautions: these include patients with spinal cord injury, infected wounds, wounds with sharp edges (eg bone
fragments) and vascular anastomoses
See http://www.fda.gov/MedicalDevices/Safety/AlertsandNotices/PublicHealthNotifications/ucm190658.htm for the FDA list of contraindications and risk factors
Box 3 Benefits and disadvantages of foam (open cell) and gauze application
Gauze
Foam
Foam requires cutting to the size and shape of the wound. Can
be quite challenging with a complex wound which has several
layers and uneven wound bed. Caution is needed in wounds with
tunnelling and undermining as in-growth of granulation tissue can
cause problems3. Foam is easy to apply to deep, regular shaped
wounds that will benefit from a high level of tissue contraction25
Gauze is easy to remove and does not disrupt the wound bed. It is
therefore less likely to cause pain at dressing changes14
Summary
References
Author details
Henderson V1, Timmons J2, Hurd T3,
Deroo K4, Maloney S5, Sabo S6
1. Clinical Lead Tissue Viability,
Northumberland Care Trust, UK
2. Medical Education Manager, Smith &
Nephew, Hull, UK
3. Clinical Nurse Specialist;
4. Clinical Nurse Specialist;
5. Senior Project Manager & Development;
6. Clinical Nurse Specialist;
Nursing Practice Solutions, Toronto, Canada
Further reading
Malmsj M, Borgquist O. NPWT settings and dressing choices made easy. Wounds International 2010; 1(3):
Available from http://www.woundsinternational.com
Ousey K, Milne J. Negative pressure wound therapy in the community: the debate. Br J Community Nurs 2009;
14(12): S4, S6, S8-10.