Incisional Negative Pressure Wound Therapy: An Effective Tool for Major Limb Amputation and Amputation Revision Site Closure

Objective: To evaluate our institutional experience of incisional negative pressure wound therapy (iNPWT) applied immediately after major limb amputation closure or amputation revision closure. Approach: A retrospective review was performed on 25 patients who underwent major limb amputation or amputation revision and had iNPWT placed intraoperatively upon incision closure. Results: Twenty-one patients underwent lower extremity amputation and four underwent upper extremity amputation. Seventeen were primary amputations and eight were amputation revisions. No patients developed dehiscence, seroma, or hematoma. One patient developed a surgical site infection (4%) that was treated with oral antibiotics. The average time to eligibility for prosthetic fitting for lower extremity amputations was 6.3 weeks. Innovation: Amputee patients have increased wound healing demands that can impact prosthetic wear and ambulation status. Stump incisions are located at the distal end of their extremities and often are in areas that have had prior surgical procedures performed. Thus, blood supply to the incision site may not be optimal. iNPWT is an effective incision management technique to promote healing and decrease postoperative complications in this patient population, which can lead to increased mortality. Conclusion: iNPWT is an effective technique of minimizing wound complications in the amputee and should be considered in this high-risk patient population.