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Original Article Plastic and Aesthetic Research

Use of negative pressure wound therapy

in pediatric oncology patients: a single-

center review of 66 patients

Stacy Wong , Anas Eid , Warren Southerland , Jon P. Ver Halen 1
2
3
1
1 Department of Surgery, Division of Plastic Surgery, Baylor Scott and White Healthcare, Texas A&M School of Medicine, Temple,
TX 76513, USA.
2 Division of Plastic, Reconstructive and Hand Surgery, Baptist Cancer Center, Memphis, TN 38120, USA.
3 University of Tennessee Health Science Center, School of Medicine, Memphis, TN 38163, USA.
Correspondence Author: Dr. Jon P. Ver Halen, Department of Surgery, Division of Plastic Surgery, Baylor Scott and White Healthcare,
Texas A&M School of Medicine, 1016 Crescent Drive Belton, Temple, TX 76513, USA. E-mail: jpverhalen@gmail.com

Dr. Jon P. Ver Halen is currently an Associate Professor with the Texas A&M School of Medicine, Department
of Surgery. He is also Associate Program Director of the Plastic Surgery Residency, and Program Director of the
Microvascular Surgery Fellowship.

ABSTRACT
Aim: Negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) has been studied extensively in adult patients,
but less is known about pediatric patients. This study assesses the efficacy and safety of vacuum-
assisted closure usage in pediatric oncology patients. Methods: Retrospective data on all
®
patients treated with NPWT at a single pediatric oncology hospital were collected between April
2005 and September 2013. Details on pre-treatment factors, treatment course, and post-treatment
events were collected. No control group was available for comparison. Results: Sixty-six patients
were identified, with a total of 74 wounds. Median age at the time of NPWT application was
13 years (range, 10 months-23 years). Median duration of treatment was 21 days (range, 3-236 days).
NPWT therapy was started with continuous high negative pressures (125 mmHg) in most
patients. Sixty-nine percent of patients had their wounds healed without intervention, and 20%
of patients required surgical closure. NPWT was discontinued temporarily secondary to skin
maceration or cellulitis in 12% of patients. NPWT was used in a number of non-standard clinical
situations, including primarily-closed incisional wound NPWT and bridging NPWT through
adjuvant chemotherapy. Conclusion: In pediatric oncology patients, NPWT is safe, effective, and
well-tolerated. Although this study is retrospective in nature, and there was no control group
for comparison, these data are important for clinicians to guide therapy as device monitoring
agencies and payors increasingly require outcomes data for the approval of therapeutic decisions.

Key words:
Pediatric; oncology; negative pressure wound therapy

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How to cite this article: Wong S, Eid A, Southerland W, Ver Halen
JP. Use of negative pressure wound therapy in pediatric oncology
patients: a single-center review of 66 patients. Plast Aesthet Res
DOI: 2016;3:248-53.
10.20517/2347-9264.2015.101
Received: 08-09-2015; Accepted: 06-06-2016
248 © 2016 Plastic and Aesthetic Research | Published by OAE Publishing Inc.