What is a negative pressure wound therapy used for?

Negative pressure wound therapy uses suction, tubing, and wound dressing to remove excess exudate and any infectious material that may be present in the wound. Negative pressure wound therapy, also called “wound vac” or “NPWT,” provides an ideal and clean environment to promote wound healing in acute or chronic wounds and second- and third-degree burns. Offering significant clinical benefits for large, chronic wounds and acute, complicated wounds, negative pressure wound therapy is used by healthcare teams and wound care specialists to support faster wound healing.

Clinicians choosing an NPWT system often prioritize systems that offer intuitive and quiet pump operation (like the Invia Liberty NPWT System, to help support consistent, correct utilization) or compact, portable design (like the Invia Motion NPWT System, to promote patient comfort and mobility).

The Invia NPWT Systems contain a double-lumen with patented, electronically controlled feedback technology called Intelligent Pressure Control and Dynamic Exudate Removal.   

• Intelligent Pressure Control utilizes the control lumen to ensure the prescribed pressure is delivered at the wound bed, meeting the standard of care.    
• Dynamic Exudate Removal utilizes the removal lumen to prevent blockages and dynamically adapt to fluid fluctuations by adjusting airflow cycles (up to 20 times per 5 mins), more accurately and efficiently removing fluid and innovating the standard of care. 

Intelligent Pressure Control and Dynamic Exudate Removal Technology

Medela NPWT | That's Innovation

NPWT Administrative Freedom
Our tailored billing model offers consistent costs regardless of the ebb and flow of your NPWT needs. Never worry about having enough NPWT devices or tracking therapy usage again, and get back to what you do best, caring for your patients.

NPWT Therapy Confidence
We offer easy to follow videos in the Medela NPWT app and online, 24/7 technical support, on-demand education, and best-in-class training on our intuitive products. With access to a comprehensive support team, you can ensure patients receive consistent treatment across the continuum of care.

NPWT Patient Experience
The Invia® NPWT Systems offer whisper-quiet technology and lightweight design to maximize patient comfort and mobility. What's more, we’ve got you covered when transitioning across the continuum of care, from admit to home, with our national distributor partnerships.

Negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) is the application of negative pressure (a vacuum) across a wound with the aim of managing the wounds and promoting healing. Alternative names for NPWT include topical negative pressure (TNP) therapy, vacuum-assisted closure (VAC) and sealed surface wound suction. In the case of burns, NPWT is used to help the drainage of excess fluid and increase localised blood flow. It has been suggested that the action of NPWT may result in the burn being supplied with increased oxygen and nutrition which could promote healing.We could identify only one clinical trial that tried to address whether NPWT is effective in treating partial-thickness burns, and its results have not yet been published in full. Consequently, there is a lack of trial evidence available, and we could not determine whether NPWT is effective in treating partial-thickness burns. Much more research needs to be done in this area to find out whether NPWT is helpful.

Authors' conclusions: 

There was not enough evidence available to permit any conclusions to be drawn regarding the use of NPWT for treatment of partial-thickness burn wounds.

Read the full abstract...

Background: 

A burn wound is a complex and evolving injury, with both local and systemic consequences. Burn treatments include a variety of dressings, as well as newer strategies, such as negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT), which, by means of a suction force that drains excess fluids from the burn, tries to promote the wound healing process and minimise progression of the burn wound.

Objectives: 

To assess the effectiveness of NPWT for people with partial-thickness burns.

Search strategy: 

We searched the Cochrane Wounds Group Specialised Register (searched 04 September 2014); The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) (The Cochrane Library 2014, Issue 8).

Selection criteria: 

All randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and controlled clinical trials (CCTs) that evaluated the safety and effectiveness of NPWT for partial-thickness burns.

Data collection and analysis: 

Two review authors used standardised forms, and extracted the data independently. We assessed each trial for risk of bias, and resolved differences by discussion.

Main results: 

One RCT, that was an interim report, satisfied the inclusion criteria. We undertook a narrative synthesis of results, as the absence of data and poor reporting precluded us from carrying out any formal statistical analysis. The trial was at high risk of bias.