Negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) allows surgeons to help difficult-to-close wounds heal. However, the multistep process needed to apply a traditional NPWT dressing and the fact that it needs to be changed several times weekly makes it costly and time-consuming to use.

Solventum, formerly 3M Healthcare, has released its V.A.C.^® Peel and Place Dressing that removes these obstacles to use through quick application and extending the time period needed between dressing changes.

“The construction and architecture of this new dressing is different. All components come in one piece. The foam is sandwiched between adhesive layers and a contact layer, and the hole for the trackpad that carries the tubing for suction is already precut. These design changes save time, effort, energy,” said Ralph J. Napolitano Jr., DPM, CWSP, FACFAS, the director of wound care and healing at OrthoNeuro, in Columbus, Ohio.

The manufacturer compared the new peel-and-place dressing with 3M’s earlier vacuum-assisted closure (VAC) Granufoam dressing, which requires filling a wound with foam, cutting a drape to size and making a hole to insert a trackpad. In a simulated use test with 12 nurses and surgeons, the new dressing took an average of a minute and 48 seconds to apply, whereas the Granufoam dressing and a hybrid acrylic–silicone drape took, on average, four minutes and 40 seconds. Furthermore, the new dressing features up to seven days of wear time compared with the recommendation to change the Granufoam dressing every two to three days.

In a porcine model, the V.A.C. Peel and Place dressing promoted the re-epithelialization of open wounds at a rate 1.6 times faster than earlier NPWT technologies, and tissue granulation that was 2.4 times thicker.

Although the price per unit of NPWT dressings depends on agreements between the supplier and buyer, an individual V.A.C. Peel and Place unit generally costs more per unit than older technologies. Dr. Napolitano noted, however, that there is the potential for the new dressing to save money because it saves time and reduces the need for multiple dressing changes per week.

Peter K. Kim, MD, a member of the advisory board of General Surgery News, was able to use the dressing soon after it came to market for treatment of an abdominal wound that had been left open after an abdominal sepsis. “The kit is similar to the old negative pressure wound therapy, but it’s very easy to apply and takes less time to peel and place on the wound—that’s the biggest improvement that this new device offers,” he said.

Dr. Kim also noted the advantages for both the patient and physician of a dressing that only needs to be changed once weekly. “Sometimes dressing changes are difficult to schedule for busy surgeons. Furthermore, sometimes patients need premedication before a dressing change due to the fact that they can be painful. This carries the risk of a dressing change even being somewhat psychologically traumatic for patients.”

Despite these advantages, the product is not appropriate for all wounds. It is designed to easily conform to wounds up to 6 cm in depth that have less than 2 cm of undermining with no tunneling. However, if used for wounds with more than 2 cm of undermining or tunneling, the dressing may trap infected fluid or infected tissue, inhibiting wound healing.

“Fewer dressing changes with better outcomes and better patient satisfaction mean this product will likely replace most of the indications for the old VAC negative pressure wound therapies, except for complex wounds where the more customizable old dressing will likely persist,” Dr. Kim said.

Dr. Kim also noted that despite the easier-to-use nature of the V.A.C. Peel and Place dressing, it is still important that clinicians understand that NPWT is not a destination therapy, meaning it is “not always appropriate to use a VAC on a wound [until] it is closed. This technology performs best as a bridge to getting a wound closed, either with stitches, staples or a skin graft if necessary.”

Dr. Napolitano is a consultant and speaker for Engineered Tissue Solutions and Solventum. He is also a speaker for Ortho Dermatologics.