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Negative-pressure therapy showed possible burn-healing benefits across eight small studies

Acta Cirurgica Brasileira (PubMed)Sep 11, 2026

AI-summarized from the linked source. Educational brief, not medical advice.

Brief summary

A systematic review of eight studies found possible benefits from negative-pressure wound therapy for partial- and full-thickness burns, including faster re-epithelialization in some studies and fewer dressing changes, but protocols and outcomes varied.

What NurseJet pulled from the source

The review included 466 patients across five randomized trials, two retrospective studies, and one prospective cohort. Three studies reported faster re-epithelialization with negative-pressure therapy; pressures ranged from 40 to 125 mmHg, and studies also assessed wound area, bacterial load, pain, graft integration, and scar quality.

Why this matters for nurses

Burn and wound-care nurses manage seal integrity, drainage, pain, skin protection, dressing-change burden, and escalation for infection or graft concerns. The review suggests potential value for negative-pressure therapy while underscoring that device settings and patient selection must remain protocol directed.

Bedside takeaway

Use ordered negative-pressure therapy with close seal, drainage, skin, pain, and device monitoring; evidence for burn healing remains limited.

Key takeaways

  • Only three of the eight included studies reported superiority for re-epithelialization time, so the finding was not uniform across the evidence base.
  • Studies reported possible reductions in wound area and bacterial load and described less frequent dressing changes as a logistical advantage.
  • Application difficulty and prolonged treatment in pediatric patients were identified as limitations.

Practice implications

  • When negative-pressure therapy is ordered for a burn, verify the prescribed pressure and mode, maintain the seal, document drainage and wound response, protect surrounding skin, and escalate pain, bleeding, infection concerns, or device failure through the burn or wound-care protocol.

Limitations & cautions

  • The evidence base comprised only eight studies with mixed designs, varied burn depth, different pressure settings, and heterogeneous outcomes. The abstract does not report pooled effect estimates or certainty ratings, so comparative effectiveness remains uncertain.
  • AI-summarized from the linked source. Review the original article before applying to practice.

Citations

Exact source links

Public citations are filtered to exact credible source pages. Homepage-only or invalid links stay in admin review and are not shown here.

Acta Cirurgica Brasileira (PubMed)

Acta Cirurgica Brasileira (PubMed). Effectiveness of negative-pressure wound therapy in partial-thickness and full-thickness burns: a systematic review.

Open original source

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42752724/

Professional education only

This summary does not replace clinical judgment, facility policy, provider orders, or official guidelines. Verify practice changes against the original source and local protocol.

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