Post Dermal Matrix Use of Negative Pressure Wound Therapy Decreases Time Closure in Lower Extremity Wounds

Aim: We sought to see if the routine use of negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT), compared to standard of care, after the placement of a dermal matrix had any effect on length to wound closure.

Method: Various Current Procedural Terminology codes identified 256 patients treated for lower extremity wounds by a Vascular Surgery Service at a large inner city tertiary care wound program from 2016-2018. These patients were filtered to find those who had a dermal matrix placed with a recorded date of wound closure; all patients who required amputations for ultimate wound management were excluded. Patients were separated into standard of care (regular dressing changes) versus NPWT. Length of time until wound closure was compared.

Results / Discussion: 27 unique patients were identified who had a dermal matrix placed followed by negative pressure wound therapy, and 12 patients with standard of care management after dermal matrix placement. T-test comparing the length of time to wound closure in each group found a statistically significant (p<0.03) decrease in time to wound closure in NPWT group. Mean wound closure time in the NPWT group was 2.89 months, while 4.63 months in standard of care group.

Conclusion: The use of negative pressure wound therapy after dermal matrix placement aids in decreasing the length of time to wound healing. Limitations to this study include the number of patients included do to the lack of follow up or the unclear documentation of wound closure in many of the other patients. Further analysis will be done to extrapolate any differences between the two patient populations compared.