AMSTERDAM, June 20, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --

For the third year, the International Negative Pressure Wound Therapy Expert Panel (NPWT-EP) convened in Amsterdam to develop clinical guidelines for the medical community on the use of NPWT.  This year's focus was to update 250 healthcare professionals on the publication status of the guidelines and to develop a consensus on open questions in four key indications: acute wounds, chronic wounds, infected wounds and open abdomen. The group also reviewed the segment of single-use NPWT devices and discussed their potential for additional indications. "There has been a significant amount of clinical adaptation of NPWT in the last 10 years," says Professor Norbert Runkel of the University of Freiburg, Germany, and Chair of the NPWT-EP. "But we have conflicting recommendations from various systematic reviews on what wounds are best treated with NPWT. As new devices are introduced and the number of patients who can be treated with NPWT expands, our treatment recommendations will provide practitioners with a clear consensus on best practices."

Last year's meeting resulted in the recent publication of evidence-based recommendations for the use of NPWT in traumatic wounds and reconstructive surgery in the journal Injury (45 (2011)S1-S12), where the global panel developed 12 important recommendations: four for soft tissue trauma and open fracture injuries, one for burn injuries, three for flaps and four for skin grafts.

"This publication is a turning point for us," says Prof. Runkel. "It's the result of several months of hard work, and is the first of three papers, which are providing, possibly for the first time, a comprehensive list of evidence-based recommendations for the use of NPWT." A second paper on NPWT treatment variables is in press while the soon-to-be-published recommendations on the use of NPWT in chronic wounds were presented at the recent European Wound Management Association Congress in Brussels (24-27 May 2011).

Concluding the 2-day session, the group discussed the new segment of ultra-portable NPWT devices in a session where Prof. Malin Malmsjo (Lund University, Sweden) and Prof. Donald Hudson (University of Cape Town, South Africa), also presented the preclinical and clinical results obtained on a new single-use NPWT device, PICO* (Smith & Nephew Wound Management, UK). Recently launched in the EU, the PICO system allows effective fluid management directly through the dressing, eliminating canisters and expanding negative pressure to a wider number of patients. PICO is indicated for acute and chronic wounds, high-risk surgical incisions and skin grafts.

The International Negative Pressure Wound Therapy Expert Panel (NPWT-EP)

The NPWT-EP was initiated in 2009 to develop guidelines that meet the pressing need for evidence-based techniques in the growing field of NPWT.  The panel, chaired by Professor Norbert Runkel of the University of Freiburg, consists of 22 clinicians and scientists from around the world with an active interest in NPWT in a wide range of indications.  The NPWT-EP is an educational initiative supported by the Advanced Wound Management Division of Smith & Nephew, Inc., a subsidiary of Smith & Nephew plc. (LSE: SN; NYSE: SNN)

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Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide      
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Roland Renyi                          
Open City Limited                      
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^[*]Trademark of Smith & Nephew.  Certain marks registered US Patent and Trademark Office.

SOURCE The International Negative Pressure Wound Therapy Expert Panel (NPWT-EP)