A comparative study on the effectiveness of negative pressure wound therapy versus conventional dressing in patients post skin grafting procedure

An essential biological layer for hemostasis is the skin surface. Therefore, it is crucial to restore the skin surface, even while the restoration of the underlying tissues can wait. By restoring collagen, providing biological occlusion, and protecting the wound, skin grafts aid wound healing and are an important technique to improve the prognosis. Since negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) has been increasingly used in the health care sector for the management of different kinds of wounds by applying negative pressure to the wound bed, this cutting edge therapy can hasten the healing of both acute and chronic wounds. In this pragmatic approach, the present study was carried out at Vydehi Institute of Medical Sciences & Research Centre's Department of General Surgery, Bengalore, between (2018 and 2020. A total of 48 patients were included in this study, and we categorised them into two groups: Group 1 was the conventional group, and Group 2 was the NPWT. The data was collected and analyzed using SAS software. As per the findings, males comprise 30 (62.5%) and females 18 (37.5%), with a mean age of 48.96 +/-11.64 years in the conventional group and 47.67 +/- 13.12 years in the NPWT group. Most of the ulcers were located in the foot (39.58%). Graft uptake was more superior in patients who received NPWT (95.83%) when compared to the conventional group, showing a significant difference (p <0.001). All 24 patients in the NPWT group had no complications or further requirement for revision surgery, whereas 6 patients in the conventional group (25%) required revision surgery due to postoperative complications. The mean duration of hospital stay was shorter in patients in the NPWT group (11.38 +/- 1.06 days) when compared to the Conventional group (18.54 +/- 3.01 days), with a significant difference (p <0.001). According to the study findings, the use of sub-atmospheric pressure dressings in the form of vacuum assisted closure has been demonstrated to be a potential method of treatment for treating wounds and enhancing the results of skin grafting, especially in patients who have had skin grafting.