Study demonstrates that both gauze and foam interfaces provide comparable healing rates in NPWT systems

Oct 24 2009

The Advanced Wound Management Division of Smith & Nephew, Inc., a subsidiary of Smith & Nephew Plc (LSE: SN; NYSE: SNN), highlighted the results of a multi-center study which demonstrates that gauze-based Negative Pressure Wound Therapy (NPWT) achieves many of the common treatment goals defined for foam-based NPWT systems. These goals include a reduction in wound dimension, exudate, and improvement in granulation tissue. A second poster highlighting a sub-set of patients in the same study found that skin graft take was dramatically enhanced and care facilitated by gauze-based NPWT.

The results of this study were presented in a poster session today at the 24th Annual Clinical Symposium on Advances in Skin and Wound Care in San Antonio, Texas.

The prospective, multi-center clinical evaluation assessed 131 non-grafted patients at 21 centers in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Its results included:

• Wound dimensions were all significantly reduced during gauze-based NPWT (p<0.001). A weekly percentage reduction in wound area, depth and volume of 8.3%, 15.8% and 20.5% respectively was observed;
• There was a significant reduction (p<0.001) in wound exudate levels from baseline to treatment discontinuation;
• There was also a significant increase>

"Gauze-based NPWT can be used to address many of the treatment goals commonly defined at the onset of applying other NPWT systems," said Dr. Raymond Dunn, Chairman of Plastic Surgery, University of Massachusetts and lead author of the poster. "Clinicians in this study found the gauze-based negative pressure system to be versatile and capable of application to a wide variety of wounds that due to their location, extent and level of exudate would be difficult to manage with foam dressings. The gauze filler used in this evaluation also demonstrated some positive advantages regarding its conformability and ease of application to large and irregular wounds."

The second poster in today's session presented results from a sub-set of 23 grafted patients with split-thickness skin grafts (STSG) that were treated with gauze-based NPWT post-operatively. The average STSG percentage take was 83%, with an average percentage take for diabetics of 50% and for non-diabetics of 95%. There were no complaints of major discomfort and no significant infections. The study validates NPWT's ability to immobilize a graft, which has several positive advantages that improve overall graft survival.

"These exciting studies provide the efficacy data needed to demonstrate that both gauze and foam interfaces provide comparable healing rates in NPWT systems," said Patricia Burns, RN, MSN, CWOCN, Senior Director of Clinical Affairs, Smith & Nephew Advanced Wound Management. "This is an important contribution to the body of science underscoring the value of having options when applying NPWT. Based on the individual needs of the patient, clinicians can choose between gauze and foam wound interfaces with confidence that either approach will meet their clinical objectives for NPWT."