IOSR Journal of Dental and Medical Sciences (IOSR-JDMS) e-ISSN: 2279-0853, p-ISSN: 2279-0861.Volume 16, Issue 11 Ver. VIII (Nov. 2017), PP 79-88 www.iosrjournals.org DOI: 10.9790/0853-1611087988 www.iosrjournals.org 79 | Page Negative Pressure Wound Therapy versus Conventional Wound Therapy in Pressure Sores * Dr. Sandeep Kansal 1 ,Dr. Vijay Krishan Agarwal 2 ,Dr. Dhanesh Kumar 3 , Dr. Chetna Khanna 4 Asso.Professor PG Dept of Surgery Subharti Medical College, Meerut 1 Corresponding Author,Professor PG Dept of Surgery Subharti Medical College, Meerut 2 Asso.Professor PG Dept of Surgery Subharti Medical College, Meerut 3 Junior Resident III PG Dept of Surgery Subharti Medical College, Meerut 4 Corresponding author: * Dr. Vijay Krishan Agarwal Abstract Aim:The aim of the present comparative study was to assess the efficacy of topical negative pressure wound dressing as compared to conventional wound dressing and prove that negative pressure wound dressing can be used as a much better treatment option in management of bed sores. In this study we also access whether NPWT would decrease morbidity and hospital stay, reduction of surface area of the bed sore, cost effectiveness and Duration. Materials and Methods:60 patients were included in the study who attended OPD/IPD in departments of general surgery, plastic surgery, neurosurgery and orthopedics in SMC Meerut during the period September 2015-July 2017. Of these 30 patients received TNP dressings and 30 were treated with regular saline dressing. Results:NPWT has a definitive role in promotion of proliferation of granulation tissue, reduction in the wound size, i rapid clearing of the wound discharge and bacterial load. Our data demonstrates that negative pressure wound dressings decrease the wound size more effectively than saline gauze dressings over the first 4 weeks of therapy. Conclusion:NPWT is a cost-effective, easy to use and patient-friendly method of treating diabetic foot ulcers which helps in early closure of wounds, preventing complications and hence promising a better outcome. Index Terms: Topical negative pressure dressing(TNP) Vacuum assisted closure(VAC) Wound Bed Score(WBS) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Date of Submission: 19-11-2017 Date of acceptance: 02-12-2017 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I. Introduction Pressure ulcer is commonly termed as bed-sore, decubitus ulcer or pressure sore and sometimes as pressure necrosis or ischemic ulcer. The term pressure ulcer was popularized by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Pressure ulcer has been defined as “an area of unrelieved pressure usually over a bony prominence leading to ischemia, cell death and tissue necrosis”. This definition has been further refined by the National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel (NPUAP) and European Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel (EPUAP) as “localized injury to the skin and/or underlying tissue usually over a bony prominence as a result of pressure, or pressure in combination with shear and/or friction”. 1 According to the National Pressure Score Advisory Panel Consensus Development Conference (2007), pressure ulcers can be classified as: 1. Stage 1- Intact skin, but with non-blanching hyperemia 2. Stage 2- Partial thickness loss of skin, reaching the dermis, presenting as a shallow open ulcer, without slough. 3. Stage 3- Full thickness tissue loss, involving the subcutaneous layer without exposing tendon, bone, muscle. Slough may be present. 4. Stage 4- Full thickness tissue loss with exposed bone, tendon, and muscle. Slough and necrotic tissue may be present in some parts of wound bed often includes undermining and tunneling. 2 Due to the effect of pressure, the ischemic degenerative changes occur at all the levels simultaneously affecting the skin, subcutaneous fat, muscle and fascia if any between the bony prominence and the pressure causing surface. . As pressure ulcers can arise in number of ways intervention for prevention and treatment have evolved over years. This may require changing the treatment modality for an effective delivery of treatment selected for different individuals. Earlier the most common modality of treatment was conventional wound