Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Negative pressure wound therapy for large dog skin wounds
By Pitt, Kathryn A & Stanley, Bryden J·Published in Veterinary surgery : VS·2014·Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Negative pressure wound therapy: experience in 45 dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of 45 dogs with serious wounds, mostly from trauma, received negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) to help their healing process. This treatment was well tolerated and allowed for fewer dressing changes, with most dogs staying in the hospital for about 8 days. After using NPWT for an average of 3 days, 62% of the wounds were successfully closed with surgery, while the rest healed on their own within about 3 weeks. Overall, 96% of the wounds healed, showing that NPWT can be an effective option for treating extensive wounds in dogs.
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Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To report experience with negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) in 45 consecutive dogs admitted with extensive cutaneous wounds and to determine if NPWT is feasible in veterinary hospital practice. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective descriptive study. ANIMALS: Dogs (n = 45). METHODS: Collected data were organized into 6 categories: patient data, wound data, NPWT data, adjunctive treatments, complications, and final outcome. RESULTS: Wounds (53 in 45 dogs) were largely traumatic in origin, and distributed fairly evenly to the trunk, proximal and distal aspects of the limbs. Most wounds (34 dogs, 76%) had no granulation tissue and were treated a mean of 4.2 days after wounding, whereas 11 dogs had granulating wounds that were initially treated a mean of 87 days after wounding. Median NPWT use was 3 days with a mean hospitalization of 7.8 days. Most wounds (33; 62%) were closed surgically after NPWT and were healed by 14 days. The other 18 wounds healed (mean, 21 days) by second intention after hospital discharge. Overall, 96% of the wounds healed; 2 dogs died before definitive closure could be attempted. CONCLUSION: NPWT is applicable to a wide variety of canine wounds, is well tolerated, allows for several days between dressing changes, and can used to optimize the wound bed for surgical closure or second intention healing.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24512302/