Silver-impregnated negative-pressure wound therapy for the treatment of lower-extremity open wounds: A prospective randomized clinical study

OBJECTIVE To investigate the antibacterial efficacy of silver-impregnated negative-pressure wound therapy (NPWT) in lower-extremity acute traumatic wounds. METHODS Open contaminated wounds caused by high-velocity trauma in the lower extremities were randomly allocated into two groups. The wounds in the control and experimental groups were treated with conventional NPWT (n = 31) and silver-impregnated NPWT (n = 35), respectively. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Serial bacterial cultures were obtained from the participants' wounds, polyurethane foam, and suction tubes weekly during the 4-week follow-up to identify bacteria and follow their conversions. MAIN RESULTS Bacterial colonization rates in the silver NPWT group were generally lower than those in the conventional NPWT group, and the difference increased with time. For methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus colonization, wounds treated with silver-impregnated NPWT showed a significant reduction in bacterial load compared with those treated with conventional NPWT. CONCLUSIONS Silver-impregnated NPWT effectively decreases bacterial load in open contaminated wounds of the lower extremities. It can be used as a temporizing measure to manage bacterial colonization while patients and wounds are being prepared for final wound reconstruction.