Granulation tissue formed under gauze-based NPWT produces less scarring

Sep 1 2009

At the 5^th Joint Meeting of the European Tissue Repair Society and The Wound Healing Society in Limoges, France, Associate Professor Malin Malmsjo, MD, PhD of Lund University in Sweden presented never before seen ground-breaking research revealing that granulation tissue formed under gauze-based Negative Pressure Wound Therapy (NPWT) is more organized and contains fewer leukocytes than the granulation tissue formed under foam. This more organized tissue may result in less scarring than the more fragile tissue formed through the use of traditional foam dressings.

According to principal investigator Malin Malmsjo, MD, PhD, “The findings represent an important ‘first’ in NPWT research. Never before have we been able to directly compare the effects of different commonly used dressing mediums to determine their effect on the wound in detail and at a cellular level.”

Using a preclinical porcine wound model, investigators also found that there is greater in-growth of tissue into foam dressing and that more force is required to remove foam from the wound bed which may explain patient pain and discomfort. The study was performed using the Prospera^® NPWT system.

“These study results support data revealed earlier this year challenging conventional thinking about NPWT,” said Cindy Ahearn, MS, RN, ET, CWCN, FNP-BC, Clinical Director of Prospera^®. “We now believe, based on wound bed histology and morphology, that granulation tissue formed under gauze-based NPWT is in fact, stronger, more organized, contains fewer inflammatory cells and will produce less scarring. It also supports our thesis that moist gauze under negative pressure does not allow ‘in-growth’ of granulation tissue which makes it easier and less painful for the patient during dressing changes.”