Wound Chemotherapy by the Use of Negative Pressure Wound Therapy and Infusion

Introduction: Although the use of negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) is broadly efficacious, it may foster some potentially adverse complications. This is particularly true in patients with diabetes who have a wound colonized with aerobic organisms. Traditional antiseptics have been proven useful to combat such bacteria but require removal of some NPWT devices to be effective. Methods: In this article, we describe a method of “wound chemotherapy” by combining NPWT and a continuous infusion of Dakins' 0.5% solution either as a standardized technique in one device (ITI Sved) or as a modification of standard technique in another (KCI VAC) NPWT device. The twin goals of both techniques are to effectively reduce bacterial burden and to promote progressive wound healing. Results: We present several representative case examples of our provisional experience with continuous streaming therapy through 2 foam-based negative pressure devices. Discussion: Wound chemotherapy was successfully applied to patients with diabetes, without adverse reactions, complications, or recolonization during the course of treatment. We believe this to be a promising method to derive the benefits of NPWT without the frequent adverse sequela of wound colonization.