Case studies of an infant, a toddler, and an adolescent treated with a negative pressure wound treatment system.

Three pediatric case studies (infant, toddler, and adolescent) using negative pressure wound treatment system (NPWS) in a children's hospital are described. Each child had complex surgical wounds and different goals for the therapy. The infant had an ulcerating labial hemangioma surgically removed, and the NPWS was used to expedite granulation tissue in preparation for a split-thickness skin graft. The critically ill toddler required abdominal fasciotomies for compartment syndrome, and the NPWS was applied to reduce interstitial abdominal edema and manage the excessive wound drainage. The adolescent initially had surgery to correct a pectus excavatum; when the sternal wound became infected and required debridement, the NPWS was used to expedite wound healing. The results of the NPWS were positive. Although this therapy has been used more commonly in adults, these case studies demonstrate its efficacy in several different types of wounds and age groups of children. The wound, ostomy, continence nurse should include the NPWS in his or her treatment differential as a valuable option for pediatric patients.