McCabe, Matthew

* Repairing skin and soft-tissue loss after severe trauma remains a daunting task because of the complications that arise throughout treatment. Negative-pressure wound therapy (NPWT) has proven to be a useful tool for reducing these complications by facilitating the repair of damaged soft tissue in a variety of scenarios and settings. * The success of NPWT depends on negative pressure, controlling local edema, the removal of inflammatory mediators, revascularization and granulation, and reducing the wound-bed bioburden. * NPWT is a reasonable treatment modality when used appropriately according to recommended indications. * NPWT creates an environment that can help to accelerate healing after devastating soft-tissue loss. * With a high reported rate of success, NPWT can be used in a variety of settings. * NPWT has proven to be useful in conjunction with flaps and grafts to further aid the practitioner in repairing damaged tissue. * NPWT has the potential of eliminating additional surgical procedures and lengthy hospital stays, thus reducing unnecessary costs.