Negative pressure wound therapy : the past and the future

Negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) involves the application of negative pressure on a wound bed for its positive effects on wound healing. Indications for NPWT concern various types of wounds, skin grafts and flaps, partial-thickness burns, open abdomen management and closed incisions. Negative pressure wound therapy has been used for centuries in human medicine. Its first use dates back to the Roman era (around 27 BCE) when human generated pressures were used. Later, European and Russian physicians developed various advanced methods and systems to apply negative pressure on wounds or other injuries. The on-going positive findings in human medicine triggered researchers in veterinary medicine to apply this technique on animal patients. However, much still has to be investigated regarding NPWT, especially in veterinary medicine, as there are many factors playing a role in the mechanisms of this treatment. New methods and techniques are continuously being developed and the existing studies show great potential for NPWT.