Extended applications of gauze-based negative pressure wound therapy in hand surgery: A review of five cases

Negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) is an established treatment for a wide variety of acute and chronic wounds. Although the exact mechanism of action is still undefined, the proposed benefits of NPWT have been well described in the literature and include improved wound perfusion, granulation and reduction of oedema and bacteria. Here we describe a series of five challenging cases where NPWT dressings were applied for both elective and traumatic wounds of the upper limb. We describe the application of the dressing and the benefits seen in our patients. We believe the patients would have had inferior outcomes if managed by the best alternative conventional dressings. • Declaration of interest: All named authors hereby declare that they have no conflicts of interest to disclose.