• Frank Peinemann and Stefan Sauerland.
• Institut für Qualität und Wirtschaftlichkeit im Gesundheitswesen (IQWiG), Köln. frank.peinemann@iqwig.de
• Dtsch Arztebl Int. 2011 Jun 1; 108 (22): 381389381-9.

BackgroundIn negative-pressure wound therapy (NPWT), a wound is covered with an airtight dressing, and negative pressure is applied. This is thought to promote healing. We evaluated NPWT with an updated, systematic review of the literature.MethodsWe systematically searched the PubMed and Cochrane Library databases for randomized, controlled trials (RCTs) of NPWT for the treatment of acute or chronic wounds. The primary outcome was complete wound closure.ResultsWe found reports of 9 RCTs in addition to the 12 covered by earlier IQWiG reviews of this topic. Five of the 9 new trials involved NPWT systems that are not on the market. The frequency of complete wound closure is stated in only 5 of the 9 new reports; a statistically significant effect in favor of NPWT was found in only two trials.The results of 8 of the 9 new trials are hard to interpret, both because of apparent bias and because diverse types of wounds were treated.ConclusionAlthough there may be a positive effect of NPWT, we did not find clear evidence that wounds heal any better or worse with NPWT than with conventional treatment. Good RCTs are still needed to evaluate NPWT.

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