The Utility of Disposable Negative Pressure Wound Therapy (PICO) in Wound Healing of Latissimus Dorsi Musculocutaneous Flap Donor Sites

Abstract

Background: Among treatments aiming to solve surgical wound complications, negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) is considered an innovative method. NPWT can promote wound healing, protect the wound from infection and reduce the tension on suture sites. At the same time, the large machine required in the therapy led to some inconvenience. The PICO system has recently been developed as a simple pocket-sized NPWT device. By comparing the time required for healing of the wound, incidence of wound complications, duration of hospital stays, and dressing costs, we attempted to confirm the utility of PICO for managing latissimus dorsi musculocutaneous flap donor sites.Methods: PICO was used on nine donor sites of patients who had undergone breast reconstruction using latissimus dorsi musculocutaneous flaps. PICO was applied immediately after operation and removed on the 9th day. In the control group, daily conventional dressings were administered commensurate with the condition of the wounds. We defined the wound healing time to the point when no more dressing was needed. For the costs of dressing, only costs incurred on the donor sites were included.Results: Wound healing was proven to be faster in the PICO group (P=0.035) versus the control group, and no complications were observed in the PICO group. Also, the cost of PICO was lower compared to the costs incurred by the conventional dressing method (P<0.001).Conclusion: We suggest that PICO can reduce wound complications on areas where anatomical movement could lead to tension, while also reducing dressing costs.