A new wound dressing that uses gentle suction to keep wounds closed and free from infection, has been recommended for wide scale use in new National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines for NHS professionals.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has used evidence from research conducted at University Hospital Southampton to develop new guidelines for NHS professionals.
The trial, sponsored by Smith and Nephew, found the PICO Single Use Negative Pressure Wound Therapy System (sNPWT) may be associated with fewer surgical site infections compared with standard wound dressings across several types of surgery.
This helped inform new NICE guidelines, which recommend these dressings be considered for closed surgical cuts in patients who have a high risk of the wound becoming infected after their operation.
How it works
The dressing includes an AIRLOCK™ Technology layer that uses suction to keep wounds closed consistently, and across the whole wound site. This helps to protect the wound against being pulled open, resulting in a 30% reduction in wounds reopening after surgery compared to standard dressings.
It also removes fluid from the wound, leading to an average of 63% fewer infections, with this trend seen across many different types of surgery.
Changing practice
NICE is the UK’s national body for providing evidence-based guidance for healthcare professionals.
They are well respected and their guidelines are followed by healthcare professionals across the UK, so this new NICE guidance is likely to strongly influence decisions and change standard practice.
NICE reviewed a total of 31 studies assessing the PICO sNPWT, including Southampton’s trial, and it is this rigour that sees NICE guidelines making it into NHS and private practice across the UK.
Use of these dressings could greatly reduce infection rates after surgery, particularly in smokers, older adults, patients with uncontrolled type 2 diabetes, and women with a high BMI giving birth by caesarean section.
Posted on Wednesday 23 October 2019