Randomized comparative study of negative pressure wound therapy versus compression dressing on split-thickness skin grafts of the lower limbs in an elderly population.

Introduction: Failure to adequately secure the skin graft to the lower limbs recipient bed can result in loss of the graft. Our objective was to compare the healing of split-thickness skin grafts three weeks postoperatively, using either negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) or conventional compression bandaging.

Methods: In this multicenter randomized controlled study, patients with tissue loss ranging from 50 cm² to 600 cm² on the lower limbs and treated with split-thickness skin grafts were included in three French hospitals. A digital photographic evaluation was performed at 3 weeks.

Results: During 9 years, 70 patients were included in the study and allocated to a treatment group. The grafted area was similar in both groups. Loss of graft was significantly reduced in the NPWT group with 14.6 cm2 compared to 29 cm2 in the control group (p = 0.0003). The hospital stay was also significantly reduced in the NPWT group, at 4 days versus 6.5 days in the control group (p = 0.0284). In the NPWT group, 60% reported pain compared to 22.9% in the control group (p = 0.0048).

Conclusions: The use of NPWT dressings improves skin graft take by reducing necrosis, improving the graft's adherence to the recipient site, and reducing hospital length-of-stay.