Negative Pressure Wound Therapy in Comparison to Conventional Dressing in management of Burn Wounds

Background: The application of negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) has expanded widely as a management strategy for treating complex wounds such as burns Objective: to evaluate the efficacy of NPWT in managing acute burn wounds affecting upper and lower extremities as regard healing time and scar outcome in comparison to the conventional methods of dressing . Patients and Methods: A randomized controlled study was conducted on 28 patients with second-degree burns (superficial , deep partial thickness burn). A TBSA burn ranging from 10% to 25% involving one or more extremity. Patients were divided into two groups: group A (n=14) managed by NPWT, group B (n=14) managed by conventional dressings. Clinical outcomes were evaluated including healing time, frequency and duration of dressing changes, Assessment of scars via the Patient and Observer Scar Assessment Scale (POSAS). Histological outcomes were evaluated by staining tissue biopsies with H&E, Masson&#039;s tricome to assess (inflammation, fibroblastic activity, and vasculature, the percentage of subepidermal zone collagen fibers) Results: The NPWT group required significantly fewer dressing changes (2.86 ± 0.80 vs. 14.71 ± 4.12, p=0.001) and achieved faster healing (10.86 ± 2.82 vs. 15.14 ± 3.94 days, p=0.048). Patient and observer scar assessment scale (POSAS) showed lower scores for pain, itching, color, stiffness, pigmentation, thickness, pliability, and surface area (p<0.05), with no significant differences in vascularity or relief. Histology demonstrated significantly higher collagen deposition in the NPWT group (24.00 ± 13.70 vs. 12.40 ± 8.96, p=0.038). Conclusion: NPWT accelerates burn wound healing, reduces dressing changes, improves scar quality, and enhances collagen deposition, in comparison to conventional dressings.