Use of negative pressure wound therapy for abdominal wounds in neonates and infants.

BACKGROUND: Negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) is an established and effective tool in the management of complicated abdominal wounds. This management approach has been used in infants, but few large series reports exist in the literature.

METHODS: The outcomes of infants with abdominal wounds receiving NPWT over the last 10 years at our institution were evaluated. Overall survival, time between initiation of NPWT, and discharge/death were examined.

RESULTS: We identified 18 infants who had abdominal wounds treated with NPWT. Diagnoses were varied, as was the duration of therapy. The median NPWT duration of treatment was 34.0 ± 92.1 days. Forty-four percent of the infants had a stoma before application of NPWT, and 22% of the infants had enterocutaneous fistulas before use of NPWT. There were only 2 cases in which a new fistula developed during the use of NPWT, and both of these omphalopagus conjoined twins had undergone the Bianchi procedure. No additional NPWT-related complications were identified. Of 18 infants, 6 died in this cohort.

CONCLUSION: Negative pressure wound therapy is an important therapeutic tool for the management of abdominal wounds in infants.