When it comes to treating chronic lesions such as postsurgical or stage IV pressure ulcers, one of the most effective treatments is negative pressure wound therapy.
Now, researchers have found that an alternative to NPWT — hydrokinetic fiber dressing — leads to similar healing results while providing a substantial reduction in cost. In a retrospective study with 38 patients at a long-term acute care facility in Sacramento, CA, participants’ wounds were treated with either NPWT or a hydrokinetic fiber dressing for about a month. The researchers found that virtually all of the lesions showed progress over the treatment period — reducing in size, changing from necrosis to granulation tissue and then to epithelium. The periwound skin’s condition also improved among all of the participants. Importantly, however, the cost of materials was substantially lower for wounds treated with the hydrokinetic fiber dressing compared to the NPWT, with cost reductions of approximately $2,000 per wound.
Results of the study, which was supported by sorbion Gmbh & Co, a manufacturer of hydrokinetic fiber dressings, appear in the March issue of the journal WOUNDS.
From the May 08, 2015 Issue of McKnight's Long-Term Care News
