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NPWT has probably been the most important addition to wound care in the current century. Despite this fact, its use in the treatment of VLUs remains very limited. This review first examines the documented and potential VLU wound environment changes that can be facilitated by NPWT. The data supporting the use of NPWT for VLU wound bed preparation, the management of fluid drainage, and the bolstering of skin grafts are evaluated. The similarities and differences between suNPWT, traditional NPWT, and NPWTi are outlined. Included in this review is when and where each therapy may have a place in the treatment of VLUs. Finally, a brief algorithm to enhance the use of NPWT in the treatment of VLUs is presented.

Introduction: Standard negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) has been shown to help close wounds despite increasing planktonic bioburden. Both planktonic and biofilm critical colonization are associated with delayed wound healing; therefore, reducing microbial colonization is thought to aid wound healing. The use of NPWT with topical antimicrobial irrigation solution has previously shown reduction in quantitative planktonic bioburden when combined with sharp debridement in chronic wounds., Objective: The goal of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of NPWT with instillation (NPWTi) on biofilm of chronic wounds., Materials and Methods: A prospective, randomized trial was conducted. Following sharp debridement, 20 patients with chronic wounds were randomized to 1 week of either NPWTi with 0.125% sodium hypochlorite solution (n = 10) or NPWT without instillation (n = 10). Serial wound biopsy was performed predebridement, postdebridement, and after 1 week of study therapy to test for quantitative nonplanktonic or biofilm-protected bacteria., Results: As expected, there was no difference in change in wound size between the 2 groups at 1 week. The NPWTi group had a mean reduction in quantitative biofilm-protected bacteria of 48%, while the NPWT without instillation group had a mean increase of 14% (P < .05)., Discussion: Consistent with previous studies, this trial demonstrates that NPWTi with dilute sodium hypochlorite solution is effective at reducing nonplanktonic bioburden of chronically, critically colonized wounds., Conclusion: Therefore, based on this and previously published work, this therapy provides both planktonic and nonplanktonic bioburden reduction as well as NPWT benefits and may be a tool for the preparation of infected wound beds prior to definitive closure.

Negative pressure wound therapy with instillation (NPWTi) and dwell time is an adjunctive treatment modality for selected complex wounds. Because of the greater amount of research now available, a multidisciplinary expert panel comprising the fields of podiatry, plastic and general surgery, burn treatment, infectious diseases, and orthopedics was convened on July 11, 2015, to produce a summary of the data and recommendations on the use of NPWTi. The panel members each reviewed available published literature on NPWTi in the PubMed, Cochrane, and Google Scholar databases from 1 January 2012 up until 20 July 2015 using the string search term negative pressure wound therapy instillation provided by the panel moderator; there were no restrictions on the language or type of publication. Panel members discussed their experiences and worked to reach consensus on several predefined topics. NPWTi was found to be most appropriate for properly selected complex hosts or wounds such as patients with multiple comorbidities, patients with an American Society of Anesthesiology Classification ≥ 2, severe traumatic wounds, diabetic foot infections, and wounds complicated by invasive infection or extensive biofilm. NPWTi should not be used routinely to treat simple wounds or hosts without comorbidities.There is evidence that when NPWTi is added to standard of care in properly selected cases it provides better overall clinical outcomes than standard of care alone, even when including NPWT. Based on published evidence and panel member experience, the Panel recommends a dwell time - fluid briefly instilled into the wound and allowed to diffuse for a user-specified time - of 10-20 minutes followed by 2-4 hours of negative pressure at -125 mmHg, although larger wounds may need times of up to 6 hours. Normal saline (0.9%) is the preferred solution for NPWTi, except in special situations. NPWTi with dwell time is an adjunct to other standard principles of appropriate wound assessment and treatment (e.g., debridement, pressure offloading, systemic antibiotic therapy, vascular assessment and revascularization when needed, or glycemic control).