Enhanced Negative Pressure Wound Therapy Shortens Hospital Stay for Major Burn Patients: Case Series

Abstract

Summary: The length of hospital stay (LOS) serves as a key metric for forecasting resource allocation and assessing quality of care in burn treatment. Negative pressure wound therapy with instillation and dwell time (NPWTi-d) has emerged as a groundbreaking option in the management of burns, linked to quicker wound healing and more effective infection resolution. However, its impact on LOS remains uncertain. This article introduces a series of burn injuries managed with NPWTi-d, using the Solventum V.A.C. Veraflo Cleanse Choice Dressing. Severely burned patients with deep burns were selected for treatment with NPWTi-d using Solventum V.A.C. Veraflo Cleanse Choice Dressing and were treated after skin grafts with Solventum V.A.C. Granufoam Dressing. We calculated the predictive LOS, with the formulas developed by Taylor et al and compared them with the actual LOS. NPWTi-d was administered to three patients. The age of the patients ranged from 16 to 42 years, with an average of 28.6 years (SD, 10.84) and an average total burn area of 48.16% (SD, 1.4%). We observed an average reduction in hospital stay of 23.2% (SD, 19.83%) All burn injuries either healed completely or demonstrated adequate skin graft survival and recovery in follow-ups. All the patients exhibited a decrease in the LOS, despite experiencing systemic complications arising from distributive shock.