SynthesisThe Cochrane database of systematic reviews2015
Negative pressure wound therapy for treating surgical wounds healing by secondary intention.
Synthesis in The Cochrane database of systematic reviews, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 38 papers, 8 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
38 citing papers in PubMed, 8 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 93 citations in OpenAlex.
- Negative pressure wound therapy for surgical wounds healing by secondary intention is not cost-effective.The British journal of surgery · 2025Pooled it
- Negative pressure wound therapy for managing the open abdomen in non-trauma patients.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2022Pooled it
- Negative pressure wound therapy for surgical wounds healing by primary closure.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2022Pooled it
- Negative pressure wound therapy in patients with wounds healing by secondary intention: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.Systematic reviews · 2020Pooled it
- Negative pressure wound therapy for surgical wounds healing by primary closure.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2020Pooled it
- Negative pressure wound therapy for surgical wounds healing by primary closure.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2020Pooled it
- Negative pressure wound therapy for surgical wounds healing by primary closure.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2019Pooled it
- Negative pressure wound therapy for open traumatic wounds.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2018Pooled it
- Negative pressure wound therapy versus usual care in patients with surgical wound healing by secondary intention in the UK (SWHSI-2): an open-label, multicentre, parallel-group, randomised controlled trial.Lancet (London, England) · 2025Trial
- Ambulatory negative pressure wound therapy of subcutaneous abdominal wounds after surgery: results of the SAWHI randomized clinical trial.BMC surgery · 2022Trial
- NPWT resource use compared with standard moist wound care in diabetic foot wounds: DiaFu randomized clinical trial results.Journal of foot and ankle research · 2022Trial
- Negative Pressure Wound Therapy vs Conventional Wound Treatment in Subcutaneous Abdominal Wound Healing Impairment: The SAWHI Randomized Clinical Trial.JAMA surgery · 2020Trial
- Dialkylcarbamoyl chloride-coated versus alginate dressings after pilonidal sinus excision: a randomized clinical trial (SORKYSA study).BJS open · 2020Trial
- Trial
- Ischemic toe ulcer secondary to Buerger's disease managed with low-pressure negative pressure wound therapy and a moisture-preserving interface: a case report.International journal of surgery case reports · 2026Article
- The role of negative incisional pressure in the prevention of surgical site complications in patients with median incisional hernia.European journal of medical research · 2025Article
- Negative pressure wound therapy: does it suck?The British journal of surgery · 2025Article
- Enhancing Quality of Life in Patients with Acute Wounds: The Synergistic Effects of Negative Pressure Wound Therapy and Physiotherapy.Biomedicines · 2025Article
- Functional and Clinical Outcomes in Acute Wound Management: Measuring the Impact of Negative Pressure Wound Therapy and Specialized Physical Therapy.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Phototherapy to Facilitate Wound Healing Following Pacemaker Infection: A Promising Tool to Improve Outcomes.The Journal of innovations in cardiac rhythm management · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundFollowing surgery, incisions are usually closed by fixing the edges together with sutures (stitches), staples, adhesive glue or clips. This process helps the cut edges heal together and is called 'healing by primary intention'. However, not all incised wounds are closed in this way: where there is high risk of infection, or when there has been significant tissue loss, wounds may be left open to heal from the 'bottom up'. This delayed healing is known as 'healing by secondary intention'. Negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) is one treatment option for surgical wounds that are healing by secondary intention.
objectivesTo assess the effects of negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) on the healing of surgical wounds healing by secondary intention (SWHSI) in any care setting. SEARCH
methodsFor this review, in May 2015 we searched the following databases: the Cochrane Wounds Group Specialised Register; The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials; Ovid MEDLINE; Ovid MEDLINE (In-Process & Other Non-Indexed Citations; Ovid EMBASE; and EBSCO CINAHL. There were no restrictions based on language or date of publication. SELECTION CRITERIA: Published or unpublished randomised controlled trials (RCTs) comparing the effects of NPWT with alternative treatments or different types of NPWT in the treatment of SWHSI. We excluded open abdominal wounds from this review as they are the subject of a separate Cochrane review that is in draft. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two review authors independently performed study selection, risk of bias assessment and data extraction. MAIN
resultsWe located two studies (69 participants) for inclusion in this review. One study compared NPWT with an alginate dressing in the treatment of open, infected groin wounds. and one study compared NPWT with a silicone dressing in the treatment of excised pilonidal sinus. The trials reported limited outcome data on healing, adverse events and resource use. AUTHORS'
conclusionsThere is currently no rigorous RCT evidence available regarding the clinical effectiveness of NPWT in the treatment of surgical wounds healing by secondary intention as defined in this review. The potential benefits and harms of using this treatment for this wound type remain largely uncertain.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.