Vacuum-Assisted Wound Dressing for Shorter Wound Healing Time: A Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Background: Vacuum-assisted wound dressing consists of a vacuum/suction machine, a conduction hose, a suction portal, foam/gauze, and an air-tight membrane, a method that is more technical but needs proper user training prior to application of the dressing. Methods: The population (P), intervention (I), and outcome (O) frameworks were used in this search strategy with keywords. The data extraction technique used the PRIMA guidelines with inclusion and exclusion criteria guided by the PIO framework. The quality of studies was assessed using appraisal tools for randomised controlled trials. A forest plot was used to illustrate the overall outcome in a random effect model. Out of 66 total articles extracted from databases, only five studies were used. Conclusion: Vacuum-assisted wound dressing showed no significant improvement in healing time compared to normal saline dressing (1.0).